Playing Dead
by Seras Alson
Summary: Dangerous. That is what he was. But the hard exterior belied the true nature of his heart. Compassionate. It was her calling. However even the purest souls have skeletons. Haunted. A term they could both claim. Together, they will fight and love, crying out for the salvation that has been denied. A/U
1. Prologue

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with - , the difference between the two being my tenses.

This is my Second go through on this particular story. I have deleted most of my others due to the fact that I believe them to be beyond helping. I am sorry to any of you who were hoping for an update. If you like, you can ask me where I was going with said stories, and I would be happy to explain briefly.

Prologue

I remember my mother once telling me that the best stories are fairy tales. After all, in fables, for every monster there is a prince, a hero to save the maiden and take her away to live happily ever after. I faithfully believed that for six years, at which point reality showed me a different truth, as it has ever since. Frequently.

I had long ago decided that I wasn't meant for happy endings. I had made peace with it. Accepted it. Yet, I had allowed myself to falsely think that I could be a princess. That everything would fall into its rightful place, like pieces of a puzzle. How was I to know that the last piece would be missing?

It's funny really. I had decided to dedicate my life to helping others and in a twist of delicious irony I now find myself needing the most help. God how could I have let myself get to where I am? Lost in a life that was never mine, I find myself wishing to start over. But life isn't a book, where you can flip back a few pages and fantasize your own reality. So perhaps the best way that I can tell my life, at least up to the present, is by starting it off just like a fairy tale. That's the way every story starts really, even one that doesn't have the ending that is so picturesque.

So I shall begin again.

Once upon a time I led a simple life. I had a stable job, a nice house and secure relationships, albeit few of them. I was what you could call successful. I was happy.

If you looked at me as a profile on paper you would see the youngest physician to head a department in the history of the Tokyo University Hospital. You would see a twenty-six year old woman with a bright future and a variety of suitable boyfriends. Truth be told I made a good living doing something I loved to do. But my good living wasn't as it appeared, thanks to a father so deep in the hole that twenty years after his death I was still handing over a good part of my pay-cheque each month to settle the debts that had been passed down to me. As a consequence of my situation, I still retained the address I had as a child, an old Shinto Shrine on the outskirts of suburban Tokyo. It had belonged to my paternal grandfather, a man stuck in ancient tradition and mythology. Shortly after my father's passing he took in my mother and me, knowing we would never be able to afford to maintain our apartment. I was too young to really remember living anywhere else.

When I was eight, only two years after my father's death my mother remarried. She had wanted a new life for us, a better life. I desperately wanted her to be happy. A month after the wedding I moved in with them. At first, my story was once again one filled with happiness. Her new husband went to great lengths to make sure that I was comfortable. A room was painted for me in each of my favourite colours. Our family outings were frequent with trips to the zoo, picnics in the park and so much laughter. At last, after the despair of losing my father, I once again belonged to a whole family. However, I should have, even then, known that happiness was a fickle mistress and in time, she would turn her back on me once more.

The change started when my mother began to grow increasingly tired. She would often need to rest during the day, despite the fact that she would go to bed early and sleep throughout the night. My step-father became overprotective of her, refusing to allow me to see her for fear that I would disturb her needed rest. I didn't understand. I wasn't a disturbance, I only wished to see her. After months of this, I was finally told the cause of this behavior. My mother was expecting a baby boy. I was elated at the prospect of having a sibling. Being an only child was terribly lonely and to have a new brother meant that I would get to have someone to help look after, someone to care for and love in a small attempt to fill the hole that my father's absence had caused.

As my brother's birthdate drew close, my stepfather began to shift his love of me to the new child, his new child. I was an inconvenience, a stain upon his perfect family picture. I was relocated to the basement, my colourful room repainted blue and decorated to be the new nursery. I would be lying if I said I hadn't felt a small amount of bitterness to the unborn boy, he had, after all, been the cause of my new place within the family.

When Souta was several months old they sent me to back to the shrine to live with my grandfather. They had told me his health was failing and he needed me around to help. I knew, as did he, that wasn't true. I didn't care. I was glad to go.

For eleven years my grandfather diligently took care of me. He was determined to teach me the ancient ways of the Shinto priestesses. I used to laugh and nod my head when he would tell me that I would have made a fine Miko in ancient times, never mentioning the sheer lunacy of his words. He helped me make it into University early, with honours, stating that anything less wasn't acceptable from any granddaughter of his. He died before I graduated medical school. I didn't see the rest of my family at the funeral. I wasn't that surprised.

At the age of twenty, bills started to be forwarded to me by my stepfather. When I called about them the only thing he said to me was, "Look, It's not my problem that your father was a derelict. He wasn't my family, and he is no longer your mothers. You're old enough to take the responsibility for your blood." He hung up after that. A week later their phone number changed. I haven't heard from them since.

I never blamed my mother. I knew she loved me. I just didn't fit. When she looked at me, all she could see was _him_ staring back at her through mirrored eyes. There were times before she had remarried that she would just hold me, lovingly stroking my cheek as she gazed into my eyes, his eyes. After my stepfather entered the picture she didn't hold me like that anymore, refusing to look at me the same. I was a constant reminder to her of what she had lost. I remember some nights when she would drink too much sake; she would sit in the kitchen, crying to herself. When my stepfather neared her she would scream, throw things at him, declare him to be unworthy in comparison to her deceased love. He would hit her then, his rage spilling forth from him like a demon. My mother sent me to live with grandpa after one of those nights, unable to deal with having her dead husband haunt her through their child. I understood. I knew she loved me. I knew I loved her more.

My grandpa had left me everything when he died. The inheritance paid for any bills the Shrine had, and would have until I was well into my thirties. After I secured the shrine I set out on the task of repaying the massive debt my father had collected. I had little to spare after the shrine was covered, but what I did have I took with me and set up a meeting with a representative of the faceless persons to who money I owed. I managed to convince them to take what I had as a down payment with the agreement that once I was done medical school, and had secured a job I would resume making payments, with interest of course, until all the debts were paid.

I took on med school as I had the rest of my schooling, with every fiber of my being. Graduating at the top of my class I had no trouble finding a job. But handing over half of my pay-cheque was painful. And not knowing what the debts were for, or to whom I was really paying, made the task less than appealing. But I knew I had to pay them. If I was late my car tires would get slashed, or one of my windows would be shattered. The police were little to no help, often declaring the two events unrelated, chalking up the vandalism to teenagers. I was stuck.

So I went about each day, work, go home, microwave dinner, feed the cat, go to bed, repeat. The more I worked the less I thought about each bedroom being empty. The more shifts I took, the less I had to think about my family, or lack thereof. Each night I dreamt of a world that didn't exist, or perhaps it was just a world where I didn't exist. Either way, it was better.

Every morning I looked in the mirror and saw the face of a fatherless child staring back at me. I saw a girl lost in a woman's body. My cat would rub against my leg, shaking me from my stupor. I would pet him, thankful that he was there. I looked forward each day to burying myself in work, helping others as best I could.

**I was happy**._ I think._

-XxXxXxX-

It was four o'clock in the morning on a Saturday when Kagome's world dramatically changed. The usually busy streets were quiet, the chaotic lives of millions quieted by the wee hours of the morning. She was on her way home from pulling a double shift at the hospital, something she did often both out of necessity and desire. Every day she took the same route, passed the same buildings, listened to the same radio station, and thought about the same man that she had a steady relationship with for the past five years; Jack Daniels.

Working sixty hours a week at a hospital while maintaining a secret, albeit committed, relationship to alcohol was a stressful task. Were it not for her easy access to percocets and other painkillers, her problem probably would have long become noticeable to her co-workers and thus she would have been dismissed. But, for once, her inner demons would not be the cause of her world getting a heavy shake. No, this time, it was her familiarity with her routine that would be her ultimate undoing.

It was her eye for detail that had been the catalyst for her life being drastically altered. Every night she took the same route home. Passed the same buildings. She knew what cars would be parked where and when. She knew when something was out of place. A custom, imported BMW stuck out like a sore thumb when it was parked near a ditch, just off the overpass.

But it wasn't the out of place car that made Kagome pull her own vehicle over and go investigate. Nor was it the strange fact that all the street lamps had seemed to die upon the same day. It was that the expensive car appeared abandoned in the middle of virtually no where, in the middle of the night, that had Kagome thinking that someone might be in trouble. The doctor in her clawed at her insides, begging her to pull over, to see if someone needed her help. So, without further thought, she pulled her more modest vehicle some twenty feet ahead of the BMW and parked.

As she had turned off her engine, a moment's trepidation seized her. The overpass acted as a shield to any light emanating from downtown, causing the already dark road to be bathed in further blackness. Idle hands began to play with her keys, fingering each piece of metal, going over what each key was for. Maybe this was nothing, and she was just being foolish. But maybe her instincts held true, and perhaps someone indeed needed her help. And wouldn't refusing help go against her Hippocratic oath?

In the end, the doctor in her had won out. She made to get out of her car before grabbing her jacket as an afterthought. Clipped to the front was her Clearance I.D. for the hospital. She rationalized that if her help was indeed needed, she may have to prove that she was indeed who she said she was. In the day and age that she lived in one never really knew. Jacket in hand she stepped out of the car, leaving her keys in the ignition and the door unlocked. She needn't fear theft in such a remote area so early in the morning.

Quickly she strode over the ditch and peered down, her eyes straining against the endless darkness. At first she saw nothing. Her first thought being that her instinct had been wrong, that no one was around and she was just being crazy. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out four figures in the background. Two of them almost glowed beneath the waning crescent moon. Their hair was so white that the moons rays reflected off their tresses in a way that made them glow. Like their hair, their eyes glowed in the dark, like that of a cat. The other two weren't distinct amongst the shadows. The two silver haired men stood with one of the darker haired ones, their three postures showing great superiority towards the fourth man in their party.

They were arguing, that much she could tell. As her eyes adjusted further the moonlight glinted off the barrel of gun. Her brow scrunched, her head pivoting slowly back and forth. She knew what she had seen and her instinct were screaming for her to turn now. Leave. Run. But her legs were no longer attached to the rest of her being. They were back to where they had been decades before. This was too familiar.

A lump formed in her throat. She couldn't breathe. She clamped her arm over her mouth to stifle the coughing that was threatening to ensue.

The shorter of the silver-haired men turned his gaze up to her. His golden hues gripping her own blue ones in a calm stare. Surprise filtered through his otherwise stoic gaze for just a brief moment. Her stomach churned. She should leave, should call the police. Everything was urging her to go. But she couldn't.

He snapped his gaze back from her and concentrated back on the weakest of the four. His taller counterpart shifted ever so slightly, his back becoming increasingly stiff as he ran his fingers through his long locks. He nodded at his smaller reflection, one tooth shining dangerously beneath the moon. Without warning the smaller one kicked the legs out from under their prey. His call of pain was rewarded with a slap from the final member of their party. Large round eyes stared pleadingly up at the three men. The argument grew louder. "Please. I never meant for this, you have to understand!"

The tallest one stared evenly down at the whimpering man, "Understand? Tsk tsk tsk. Poor Tenchi. You don't understand the situation at all…" His voice grew quieter as he moved in closer to the man, his hand coming out to grip the man's chin in an iron grip. He pushed the quivering man's face away and stood. With a quick wave of his hand he left the other two as he walked calmly back to his car.

The fallen man called to him, begging still, "Please, Sesshomaru-sama!" It was at this point that the remaining silver-haired man turned his gaze back up to her. His arm flew up from his side. The gun made her stomach flutter. The silencer muffled most of the sound, but not all of it. The remaining noise resonated in her skull. It became a white noise that engulfed her being and took her out of herself. But his scream cut through the noise like a knife. It was a terrible sound. Yet, she reasoned, the dead couldn't scream. She didn't understand, couldn't. Was this a lucid nightmare?

No. As she fell back into reality she found that two sets of eyes now looked up at her. One pair with the surprise of first spotting the unexpected. The other now just seemed annoyed, angry almost. It was then that she realized that the scream wasn't coming from the dead man. It was coming from her.

The taller silver-haired man appeared at the shorted one's side, his hand coming up to rest on his shoulder. He inclined his head and the other two advanced on her. Her coat fell to the ground. Her body went into flight mode. She turned and ran to her car. She fumbled in her pockets for her keys before realizing she had left them in the ignition. Thanking the gods she started her car and pulled away. She pushed the car to its limit, glancing at her review mirror ever few seconds, praying that hadn't followed her. Each time she looked she saw nothing.

That fact didn't help her nerves. As she got home Kagome threw herself out of her car, barely remembering to turn off her vehicle, grab her keys, and locking it before running up the shrine steps and hiding within the shallow safety of her home. She barricaded herself in her room, her eyes never leaving her door.

This wasn't the first night she had gone without sleep, but it was the first that she had without a bottle in her hand.

XXXXXXXX

He knew his brother was growing bored of listening to the man beg. If his own patience had been exceeded, then there was no doubt in his mind that his elder brother's had been lost long ago. They had already heard his story, had listened to the man stutter and plead as he apologized over and over again. How he hated the weak and stupid. Looking down his nose at him, Inuyasha couldn't help but allow a look of disgust to cross his face. _Pathetic little man..._ He just didn't understand humans sometimes. Why did they feel the need to try to beat the inevitable? It rarely changed anything, except his annoyance level of course.

It was simple. There were three things the Taisho family would never allow or forgive. Weakness, Blatant stupidity, and Disloyalty. The man before him had proved to be all three when he had given the police the date and location of one of their shipments. _Disloyal little rat._

His ears twitched at the sound of an engine approaching. It passed and he returned his attention back to the task at hand. His brother lifted his hand, silencing the continuous blubbering. "You know Tenchi I find myself rather hurt tonight." He smirked as his brother's eyes slatted as he moved a hairs width closer to the quaking man. "Our family took you in as a nothing thief and gave you everything." His face was devoid of emotion, giving nothing away to the insignificant being before him. "Perhaps that was where we faulted. We spoiled you too much. What else were you supposed to turn out to be other than a greedy, self-serving little worm?"

He laughed at that, causing his brother to crack a rare grin. "Now come on Sesshomaru, you can't take all the blame. Tenchi here had to have always been a little bit of a snake. You can't blame yourself that he was good at hide…." He stopped. His ears perked at the sound of soft footfalls on gravel. Slowly he glanced up the top of the ditch. There stood a girl, her features indistinguishable amongst the darkness.

Growling in the ancient Inu-Youkai Tongue, his elder brother looked pointedly at him. :: Danger pack brother? :: Inuyasha tore his gaze from the girl to lock eyes with his brother, shaking his head as he did so.

"Nothing important." He cast a side ways glance up towards the girl once more, his eyes trying to adjust enough to allow him a glimpse of her. Yet the darkness continued to bath her in it's cloak, shielding her from his prying eyes.

Tenchi took this moment to begin to plead once more. Inuyasha snapped his head back to the pathetic man. Frustrated he shot his leg out, smirking with pleasure as it contacted with the scumbags legs, knocking him off his feet. "You have to understand!" Tenchi was becoming hysterical now.

"Understand?" Clucking his tongue in disapproval as a sinister smile wormed it's way onto his lips. "Fool, you have no idea the kind of damage you have caused us. You cry to me about understanding, what is there not to understand?" Sesshomaru advanced on him, his voice nothing more than a deadly whisper. "We saw you talking to detective Dokuga. And in case you weren't already aware of our policies," He gripped the trembling man's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Rats have no purpose but to be exterminated." Pushing the man's terrified visage away from him, as if disgusted by his very presence, he waved his hand dismissively before turning and walking back into the shadows.

Inuyasha smirked as his brother faded into the darkness, his golden eyes refracting the moonlight. Malicious hatred shone in his amber orbs as he looked callously at the feeble human that lay at his feet. Turning his head slowly, gold locked with blue as he once again found himself staring at the young woman. He didn't understand why he was so fascinated by her, why he didn't alert the others to her presence. Never once taking his eyes from her, his arm raised, the gun in his hand poised perfectly. Tenchi whimpered, one last pathetic attempt at mercy. "Please Sesshomaru-sama!"

The hushed gunshot resounded in his sensitive ears. He kept his eyes trained on her, as if silently daring her to run, the most animalistic part of him wanting nothing more than to give chase to this brazen girl who had walked in on their affair. He found himself fascinated by her screams, they appealed to his youkai in the darkest of manners. Even as entranced by her as he was, he was still very much aware of the attention she had drawn to herself. _Stupid girl_. Miroku's gaze was now fixed on her as well, the houshi's fingers sliding over his holster. He could feel the blood flowing into his eyes, turning them red. She was his to harm, not the monks! His brother appeared at his side, his hand grasping his shoulder as he gave him a knowing look. The tension in the elder brothers body indicated his displeasure with the woman baring witness to them. Inclining his head towards her, Sesshomaru signaled for the pair to retrieve her. He felt torn. Unknown to him was his inner beast snarling at him to protect her, to take what was theirs. He swallowed hard, shaking his head to rid himself of such foolish nonsense. She was a faceless human wench, nothing more.

She bolted as they gave chase, her jacket falling forgotten to the ground. Inuyasha knew she would make it to her car, but the metal tin was hardly a safe haven from him. As he reached the top of the hill, his brother's voice stopped him. "Inuyasha, leave her." For anyone with lesser senses, they would not have heard his quiet command, but his ears picked Sesshomaru's words easily. Grabbing Miroku's arm to stop him, he turned and pulled the dark haired man back down with him.

He engine roared to life, her tires squealing as she drove away. As the pair rejoined Sesshomaru, a white pile caught his eye. With inhuman speed he ran to it, whisking it up into his grasp. Now that she was gone, and his youkai was quieted, his temper flared. He hated loose ends, snags in almost perfect procedures. They could have caught her. But now, now this would have to be handled more delicately. What had Sesshomaru been thinking?

Taking a breath he rationalized that this wasn't a big problem. She was just a woman. And a stupid one at that. She had left her jacket with identification on it. Even had the jacket been without I.D. her scent would have done the trick. It was unlike anything he had ever come across. Like cherry blossoms after a rainstorm, with an underlying stench of multiple diseases and illnesses. Sickness not from her but from hundreds. She was a doctor, which he knew even before he had found the Tokyo University Hospital Clearance tag. He fingered the cool plastic, lifting it to his golden orbs. "Hm, Kagome Higurashi." The last name sounded familiar, but why that was he couldn't discern. He hadn't ever seen the girl before.

"Why the hell would you call us back fluffy?" He ignored the deadly glare from the elder demon, rolling his eyes as he marched up to him. "We could have caught her! Who knows if she took down your plates, or got a good look at our faces. Especially with that stupid fuck over there messing everything up, leaving a witness to run around blabbing her god damn mouth off doesn't really seem like a smart move."

Sesshomaru's hand shot out like lightning, wrapping around the younger Taisho's throat in a vice-like grip. "You dare point that blame on me hanyou?" Inuyasha cringed at the insult, his ears flattening against his skull. "You were the one that let her remain there, her prying eyes and ears invading our business. How long did you know she was there for Inuyasha?" Letting his brother go, he sneered, his beautiful face scrunching up in disgust. "Staring at her like she was a bitch in heat. Disgraceful."

Inuyasha flushed, a scowl marring his handsome face as he rubbed his neck. "It still doesn't explain why you called us back."

Turning his back on his little brother, Sesshomaru looked off into the distance, his hands fisting. "Could you not hear him half-breed? Could you not smell his vile stench? There was a mouse that followed our rat here tonight, one that reeked of the Kumo-dokushii family."

_A mouse? _He hadn't noticed anything. But then again his attentions were busy elsewhere. He growled at the mention of the Kumo-dokushii family. They were the second family in the Yakuza, and probably the most insane. Their leader, Naraku, was a sadistic psycho with a fetish for torturing and kidnapping young women. Ever since he had murdered his father, Onigumo, he had spent every moment trying to make his family the first, which meant destroying the Inu-no-Taisho clan. "When was he here? Where is he now?" He cast his eyes about, allowing them to land on a quickly approaching familiar form.

"He ran away after the girl screamed. I think her presence surprised him." Sesshomaru turned back to his brother, his agitation now showing clearly on his face. "Fortunately for us, Shippou was waiting in the trees just in case Tenchi tried to run. He caught a rat, just not the one we were expecting."

Shippou arrived at that moment, carrying a limp mouse youkai. "Rat? No, but close." Dropping his cargo unceremoniously on the ground, Shippou brushed off his pants before stretching. "I caught him alright, but not before he made a quick call. I heard the tail end of it. Something about a girl being a witness. I don't know."

Inuyasha kicked the mouse-youkai, but the man didn't move. "What did you do to him Shippou? Kill him?"

"I didn't. When I pounced on him he was still on the phone. I heard the guy on the other end say something and he just crumpled beneath me. I checked all his vitals, but he's dead." The kitsune rubbed his head, his tongue fingering his small fangs. "I swear guys; I didn't do anything to him."

Miroku cleared his throat, his indigo eyes staring aimlessly up at the sky. The barely there moon smiled mockingly down at them. "Shippou what exactly did he say to the guy on the phone?" As he asked he knelt down to the new corpse before him. His aura crept out to touch that of the deceased. A chill claimed his spine.

"After the chick screamed the guy ran. I followed him carefully. He pulled out his phone as he was running. He began to babble about the job being done perfectly except for one hitch." He looked nervously up at the three taller men. "He said that some girl that smelled like disinfectant and death had seen everything and that she had escaped. He said he knew who she was." Looking now at the dead man he grimaced. "All I heard was him say the name Toishii. That's when I jumped on him and that's when he just, died."

Miroku glanced at the two Inu brothers, his heart caught within his throat. "This man was killed with a very old spell. One that hasn't been seen in almost 500 years." He stood, his arms wrapping around himself, trying to regain some of his body heat.

Inuyasha growled, "But why would Naraku send a man to spy on us killing a rat, only to then turn around and kill his own guy? That doesn't make any sense."

Miroku walked over to Tenchi, his hands searching through the dead man's pockets. He pulled out his wallet. As he opened it realization dawned on him. Facing the other three men he spoke softly. "Because he didn't need him anymore. Instead of buying a testimony he's going to force one out of that girl."

"Testimony? What are you talking about Miroku? A testimony for what?" Shippou inquired, his green eyes narrowing in confusion.

"I think Naraku just figured out a way to end us," He flipped Tenchi's wallet over to show them the shining gold badge with the letters T.M.P.D. engraved neatly across the metal. "And furthermore, we just let a better witness for him get away."

Authors Note: Ok so that's the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. I'll try to have the next installment up as soon as possible. The more reviews, the more inclined I'll be to update quicker.

A/N 2: I've changed the pairing (sorry if this displeases anyone) and have overhauled the story. It's new, so I would read it again if I were you.


	2. Chapter 1

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that there is no such thing as black and white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for later chapters and for language and violent scenes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: OOC/ AU

Authors note: Some parts of the story will be written in first person, while others will be written in third. POV changes will be marked by an O's. Shifts from present to past will be signified by -. And scene changes will by noted with X's. Thank you.

A/N Reread the Prologue if you haven't already. It's changed drastically and I don't want you to be lost.

Chapter One

As a general rule, Kagome did not swear. It was simply not in her nature to allow deviant words to escape her petal soft lips. It wasn't that she didn't get angry; the few that had bared witness to her rage could readily attest to that. It was simply a habit she was adamant not to form. Yet, as the raven-haired woman flung herself through her front door, she found that, at the moment, she just couldn't bring herself to give a shit. "Fuck!" Her door crashed against the wall, the sound lost amongst Kagome's screams. The familiar walls seemed to bleed against one another, making her feel sick. She felt for the banister, her fingers digging into the wood as she held herself there for dear life. She took a moment to breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly as she forced herself to calm down.

Her cat meowed, his paw gently touching her leg, she ignored him. Pushing herself away from the stairs she walked into the kitchen, her eyes landing on the table. The answering machine read two unread messages; she couldn't comprehend what to do, so just sat stared blankly at the phone. Alone in her kitchen she forced herself to breath once again. Slowly oxygen made its way into her lungs, pushing out stale air, allowing her to absorb everything. Tears welled in her eyes, brimming each silvery orb with a barely contained sea. Buyo rubbed against her legs, stealing her from her own world. "Hungry?" Her voice was monotone, as if she was merely on autopilot. Her cat purred, his porky, little body squishing against her with love. She walked over to the light switch, her fingers numbly searching. The room illuminated, she blinked back her tears. She moved through her kitchen mechanically, scarcely aware of what she was actually doing.

The wind rustled her long locks as she knelt to give Buyo his food. Looking slowly she took note of the open door, the purse half scattered, the shoes abandoned without thought. The medical voice in the back of her mind rationalized that she was most likely in shock. But knowing this didn't help her. As if walking through water Kagome closed her door, locking it. She checked each lock several times, a foreign feeling of OCD taking hold of her. She had to be sure, had to know that for the moment, the door was locked and she was safe. Her vision blurred as her fingers numbly worked over the metal. Slowly she sank to the floor, her body quaking against the heavy wood door. Curled tightly in a ball, Kagome allowed the film of her memory to replay over and over in her head. None of this made sense. This was not reality. But even as she began that mantra she doomed it. She knew. Couldn't escape it, couldn't change it, and didn't think she would ever truly understand. "Tenchi." That name was engraved in her mind, plastered amongst her thoughts with the constant sound of a firing gun.

Taking a deep breath she looked up, her glazed eyes searching frantically, wildly. Upon landing on the shining, half-full, 26oz bottle of whiskey, she stood. Gliding over to the counter her hands wrapped around the neck of the bottle greedily. Her other hand made quick work of the lid, tossing it to the side as she heaved the bottle to her lips. She paused, her tongue running along her bottle lip. She was so thirsty. Her body shook, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to imagine the bottle's contents being poured down her throat, the amber liquid...

The bottle fell. Glass shattered and mixed with it's golden contents at her feet. She looked down, looking at her reflection. She could see him staring up at her, through the liquor that was coloured the same as his eyes. She shuddered, tearing her gaze away. Those eyes, those terrible, beautiful orbs. They mocked her, stole her breath, captivated her. Her stomach rolled again. Taking a long look at her liquor cabinent, she contimplated going over and drowning herself in a new bottle. She pushed away from the counter, ignoring the shards of glass that cut at her feet. She needed to think, to sort out everything. As badly as she wanted to finish a bottle, to fall into the protected world of self-made delirium, she knew that for now she would have to abstain.

A man was dead. That much she knew. So she started there, thought back to the moment that the gun had gone off, the moment when the man fell to the ground in an unnatural position.

_As she fell back into reality she found that two sets of eyes now looked up at her. One pair with the surprise of first spotting the unexpected. The other now just seemed annoyed, angry almost. It was then that she realized that the scream wasn't coming from the dead man. It was coming from her._

_The taller silver-haired man appeared at the shorted one's side, his hand coming up to rest on his shoulder. He inclined his head and the other two advanced on her. Her coat fell to the ground. Her body went into flight mode. She turned and ran to her car. She fumbled in her pockets for her keys before realizing she had left them in the ignition. Thanking the gods she started her car and pulled away. She pushed the car to its limit, glancing at her review mirror ever few seconds, praying that hadn't followed her. Each time she looked she saw nothing._

A sickening lump began to form in the pit of her stomach, rising up her throat, threatening to spill from her lips. She focused on the door. Scattered along the floor were her keys, her shoes, and her purse. _My jacket… _The table and its chairs were bare, it wasn't with her. Running to the door she quickly unlocked it, flinging it open and running through. Pressing her face to the glass of the drivers' window she searched. Nothing. No jacket. "Damn it! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Banging her head against the glass she inverted her cursing, opting to silently curse the Kami's. She flipped so her back was leaning against the cool metal of her vehicle. A man was dead. She had seen it. Countless mafia films led her to rightfully assume it was gang related. What other possible reasoning could there be for taking someone out to the middle no where, get into an argument with them, and then kill said person? No she was sure that what she had witnessed was some kind of hit.

Kagome looked around her as she walked back into her house, unease creeping up her spine. She made sure the door was once again locked, this time with a little less gusto, before returning to the kitchen. Buyo had finished eating, his pudgy body now gracing the table top before her. He looked up at her as he always had, with adoring eyes that begged for her to pet him. Gingerly she stretched out her hand, stroking the soft fur between his ears. "If I die, will you miss me?" He pushed his head into the palm of her hand, a soft rumble emanating from his chest. "Well good, at least someone will."

Pulling out the chair she sank into the plush fabric, seemingly noticing for the first time all that was around her. Everything was new, state of the art, perfect. Gleaming silver surfaces, oak cabinetry and granite countertops stared back at her, not a thing out-of-place. She glanced down at the floor, grimacing, having forgotten the bottle of Jack Daniels that lay broken there. Well, almost nothing was out-of-place. From where she sat she could see through the large window and everything that lay beyond it. The courtyard that was meticulously cared for by distant friends of her grandfather, the old tree that stood gloriously in the center, and the old well house that lay just beyond it. Her heart-felt unnaturally heavy. It had been so long since she had actually looked at her home. It was beautiful, a mesh of things new, or her, and of the ancient, or her grandfather. Briefly her thoughts went to the phone. Surely she should call the police, tell them everything, and get protection. But how? How could she begin? What good could they do anyway? They had been no help with her father, and had given her even less help with her vandalism problems, so why would they be any better now? No, until she had everything sorted, had some kind of plan, it would be better just to keep her mouth shut.

Sighing she continued to idly pet her cat, her fingers playing with his pointed ears. "Okay, so they saw me. They have my jacket, which means they have my security tag, which means I'm fucked." A groan fell from her lips as she slammed her head down against the table top. Buyo meowed in protest, his tail flicking back in forth in ire. Rays of light filtered in through the kitchen blinds, shining off the polished surfaces in her kitchen. She looked over to the clock on her microwave. _7:38_ Where had the time gone? Groaning she let her head loll to the table. Buyo pawed her face gently before falling onto his side. "Do you think it's fair that a dead person should still have to go to work?" He just stared at her blankly. "Well I don't. But sometimes we have to do unfair things."

Ignoring the mess on the floor, she forced herself up the stairs, peeling off her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower; pushing aside the previous night with a smile she had been practicing all her life. Minutes later she was wiping away the steam from the mirror, gauging her appearance. Darkened bags sat under red eyes. Pale, blotchy skin gleamed with droplets of water. A deep sigh fell past her round lips. Toweling dry her hair, she placed it up in a messy bun before dressing. Her mind kept wandering to horrible scenarios, to what ifs and possibilities as to how the day would pan out. She left her house, taking care to lock it up and give it a good look before getting in her car. She stared out at her home for a few minutes before putting the car in reverse and beginning her journey to work. She forced the darkness that had taken hold of her to remain in the furthest reaches of her mind, determined that this too, would pass.

XoXoXoX

The hanyou was fuming, his muscled body tense as he paced back and forth in the room. "Fuck!" His hands balled into fists, his claws digging into the pads of his hands, drawing blood. He wanted to kill something, someone, anything. He wanted to feel bones break beneath his capable hands, to bathe his fingers in the warm life fluid of another. His mind reeled as thoughts of the stupid woman plagued his mind, wrapping around his thoughts and choking the very sanity from him. He wanted to chase her, to sniff her out, to catch her and fuck her until...

"Inuyasha, you need to calm down. What's done is done. Getting angry is not going to change that." His friends voice shook him from his dangerous path, making the beast in him quiet as he looked at the raven haired man before him. Miroku had his violet eyes squeezed shut, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, a thing he did when he was stressed.

Clearing his throat, Inuyasha scowled. "Yah, well, sitting here doing nothing isn't going to fix this either!" His deep voice reverberated off the walls, adding to the volume. "I could have had her Roku! She was right there. Right FUCKING THERE!" His fist connected with the wall, creating a rather large hole. "He just called me back, tugged on my god damn leash like I am some insolent pup! Fucking bastard!"

Miroku chose his words carefully, his breathing short and restrained. "I understand where your anger comes from Inuyasha, I truly do. However," He stole a quick glance at his silver-haired friend, swallowing hard before continuing on. "I can also see where your brothers logic lies. With what information we had at the time, it made sense for him to want to focus his attentions on the mouse. He couldn't have possibly known that this girl would be a big of a liability as she is."

"He should have trusted my judgment and let me grab the stupid bitch." Inuyasha plopped down across from his friend, his face void of any emotion.

Smirking Miroku let a chuckle escape him, "Oh come now Inuyasha. She is a doctor; I don't think that warrants you the right to call her a stupid bitch." His chuckle ceased when Inuyasha shot him a heavy glare. Clearing his throat, Miroku sat back in his chair. "Well what do you want to do then?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, looking around the room with feigned interest. It was barren but elegant, each piece of furniture serving a purpose but managing to act as art. The table he sat at now was accompanied by ten chairs, eight of which sat empty. "I guess we'll wait to hear what Sesshomaru has to say."

As if on cue, the elder Taisho brother came through the double doors, followed closely by two of the family's retainers; Jaken and Myouga. Myouga was an elderly looking man, with an almost bald head. A ring of fluffy white hair wrapped around his cranium, causing him to look like a crazy scientist. He was short and round, with completely black eyes and pointed ears. His nose was always twitching, scavenging at peoples scents. Jaken on the other hand was short but slim. His slatted pupils were surrounded by yellow irises. He was completely bald and if you caught him in the right light his skin had a distinctive green tinge to it. *

All three men sat down carefully, Sesshomaru sat gracefully at the head of the table, his suit clean and pressed to move with him without sound. Jaken sat to his right, his already short frame dwarfed by the large table and chair. Myouga moved to Jaken's right, his seat almost parallel to that of Miroku's. "Where are the others?"

"Totosai is in Kyoto at the moment, Shippou and the women were not asked to come." Sesshomaru replied evenly, his eyes challenging Inuyasha to argue.

Without hesitation Inuyasha took the bait. "Why not?"

Clearing his throat, Sesshomaru smiled. "Because this is not a matter that the women would agree to, and we don't have time to debate our course of action. As for Shippou, he is still just a kid. By birthright he may hold that seat now that his father has passed on, but until I think he has proven that he is a man worthy of such a position, he will not be privy to the information in this room." Inuyasha wanted to point out that the kit was seventeen, and had accompanied them on many "adult" business trips, but chose to keep his mouth shut. While he was talking, Sesshomaru had taken out several manila folders from his brief case. He passed each of them one, sliding them across the mahogany with ease. "Now then, shall we move on to pressing matters?"

_Jackass. _Under the table Inuyasha let his balled hands release, leaving behind small crescents in his flesh. He tore open the folder, his eyes scanning over its contents momentarily. _Kagome Higurashi, blah blah, PhD, blah, daughter of, whoa, wait a second._ Glancing up at his brother, Inuyasha found his gaze returned with a near identical set of eyes. "When Shippou said the name Toishii I didn't think it had anything to do with THIS Toishii. I didn't know he had children." Dropping the file back onto the table he yawned. "Small world."

Raising one eyebrow, Sesshomaru snarled slightly. "Indeed."

The tension in the room was thick, and in an effort to thin the air Miroku coughed loudly. "Well, what do you want us to do with her?"

"Well at first I figured we could just kill her." A small voice in Inuyasha growled at the motion put forth by his elder sibling. "But due to certain, histories, it seems this matter will have to be handled a tad more delicately." Shifting so his posture faced towards Jaken, Sesshomaru whispered something in the man's ear. In an instant the small man was up out of his chair and running out of the room. "So, I figured we'll just have to take her before Naraku does."

Inuyasha snorted, his signature smirk appearing on his face. "Well then, thank goodness you came up with that one. For a minute there I thought we were screwed!" Jumping from his seat he made his way to the door. "Come get me when you have something useful to tell me."

"Inuyasha."

He turned carefully towards his brother, his ear twitching in agitation. "Yes?"

"I want you to be the one to retrieve her." His brother's smile made him instinctively clench his fist.

"Hell no."

"This isn't up for debate little brother."

"Keh! Like hell it isn't. Just because you sit in that chair does not mean that you are entitled to…" He was cut off as he brother sped across the room, his hand coming up to grip his younger brother's throat.

Sesshomaru moved so his lips were inches from his brother's ear. He spoke softly, knowing full well that only Inuyasha could hear him. "Until the day that you choose to own up to your responsibilities and sit where you were meant to sit I am entitled to say and do anything I please. If you care to refute that than by all means sit in Father's chair, take the half that was left to you." Sesshomaru smirked as his brother averted his eyes, his body going limp in submission. "Now, go get the girl. You have her address and you know where she works. From what her file says she will be in either place."

Miroku interrupted them, his brow furrowed. "Won't she have called the police?"

Sesshomaru released Inuyasha, shaking his head as he looked at the monk. "No. She has a long list of unanswered complaints to the Tokyo City police. Someone with connections in the PD have black listed her. I doubt she would even bother."

Inuyasha wordlessly left the room, his cheeks burning with humiliation. He hated when Sesshomaru put him on the spot like that. Yet, he couldn't blame his brother. After all he was just trying to make him into a man, to finish the job his father never got the opportunity to do. Walking into the oversized garage Inuyasha stared at the array of cars that lay before him. Settling on his brother's prized car, his new 2011 Corvette C7, Inuyasha found himself smirking once more. So his brother was a dick for his benefit, fine. That didn't mean he couldn't push his elder brother back. He told himself that over and over as he drove off in his brother's baby.

XoXoXoX

Some how, and she was still unable to discern how, Kagome had managed to obtain a rare, albeit needed break. The clinic was staffed and running smoothly, she had no operations lined up as of yet, and the hospital had not received an urgent call in almost an hour. As she walked through the brightly lit hall, the daily noise she had grown accustom to, began to nag at her. The quick talking voices of the nurses, the inquisitive tones of patients, the tired noises of staff from various departments all weighed on her. For a moment she leaned against the wall, her head tilting back against the painted wood. With each breath in she attempted to push the sound out. While doing this, he caught her off guard.

"Kagome?"

Her eyes snapped open, quickly focusing on the familiar face in front of her. "Oh." Relaxing slightly she let out a held breath. "Hojo-kun, uh, what can I do for you?"

He looked bashful, his dark brown hair perfectly disheveled, bits of it falling softly in front of his beautiful brown eyes. "Um well, yesterday I had asked you a question and you never got around to answering me." At her confused visage he quickly added in, "Dinner. I wanted to know if you would like to go for dinner with me, maybe tonight?"

She smiled softly, her heart fluttering a tad. He was very cute, and incredibly sweet, but right now she did not want to have to deal with this. "Perhaps some other time Hojo, tonight is really not good for me." _Or ever really, I doubt I'll even see tomorrow._

He looked crestfallen, but for the moment, she didn't have any more room to care. "Another time than."

"I'm sorry Hojo."

"No no, it's ok." He smiled at her before he briskly walked away.

Sighing Kagome pushed herself away from the wall, her footfalls quiet and swift as she walked numbly to her office. She closed her door, unaware of the person sitting in her chair. She placed her forehead against her wood of the door, mentally berating herself for continually screwing up her life. "Higurashi?"

The voice caught her off guard. A small scream escaped her lips as she turned to face the man who had invaded her sanctum. "What are you doing in my office?" She all but yelled.

The man snickered, his face pensive. "Well my dear, it seems you have something that I need."

Her heart beat increased, but she kept her face stoic. "I find that unlikely since I don't even know who you are." Walking to her desk with confidence she moved to pick up her phone. "Now unless you have some kind of ID that warrants you being here, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, with or without security."

He moved faster than she expected. The phone was torn from her grip and thrown to the ground carelessly. "I really would advise against doing that."

She swallowed, her composure barely faulting. "Get the hell out of my office!"

The slap came as a painful surprise. Grimacing as her face was flung to the side she glared at the man before her. "Do not raise your voice at me you little bitch."His words though sharp, were not belied in his tone. The man sat back down in her chair, his alabaster skin a stark contrast to her black chair. "You are right that you do not know me. But you do have something I need. I happen to know you were privy to a little event last night. Am I correct Kagome?" The way her name fell from his lips made her shudder. He accentuated every syllable, his eyes raking over her form.

Swallowing hard she found herself backing away from him, mentally counting the steps to the door. "I..." The door handle poked into her back, giving her a little more courage. "I don't have any idea what you are talking about." He was in front of her before she could blink, his pale fingers wrapped around her throat. Pressing her against the door frame, his other hand came up to cup her face. He pet her reddening cheek softly, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously.

"I don't like when people fuck with me." He pressed himself fully against her, shuddering at the look of revulsion that took over her features. "I am going to ask you once more pet, were you or were you not a witness to a murder last night?" The way he spoke of it, his voice so brash and casual made her stomach flip. She shook her head, her hands pushing weakly at him. He threw her to the ground, smiling wickedly as he head made contact with the floor. Walking over to her, he stood with one leg on either side of her hips. He knelt, straddling her, his body weight resting on her diaphragm, restricting her breathing. His face was suddenly centimeters from hers. He gripped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, bruising the porcelain skin almost instantly. "Poor pet. I was hoping you would be an obedient bitch but it seems I will have to train you after all." His fist connected with her face once again. His hands began to roam her form, delighting in her small sounds of protest.

The door creaked open and abruptly the weight was gone. She was so tired, and the combination of her weariness and the recent physical abuse was slowly stealing her from consciousness. She saw silver hair, and she knew she should probably be afraid. But just then, she didn't have the strength to care. The other man left, she didn't know how, but one moment he was there and the next he had disappeared.

Strong arms lifted her, cradling her body to another's. "You."

He frowned her at her, his annoyance clear on his face. "Me." His agitation was furthered when her head lolled backwards, her eyes fully closed. "Damn it." Shuffling so he was holding her with one hand, his other grabbed his cell phone. After just one ring his brother's voice asked a very clear, "Yes?"

"I have her. Naraku was here. Or at least a part of him was. Stupid girl passed out. I'll be home in twenty." Silence answered him. "Well you're welcome!" He hung up, his teeth grinding. "Stupid son of a bitch." Looking at the girls face a small part of him snapped at the sight of the new bruises already set on her face. "You're just going to be a delight, I can tell."

Authors Note: Well Chapter One is FINALLY done! Sorry it took so long. I had to rewrite the entire prologue because I didn't like how it was going to turn out. Anyway, Review!

* In this story Myouga and Jaken take on more humanoid forms, though they still retain some their original physical characteristics.


	3. Chapter 2

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with -, the difference between the two being my tenses.

A/N 2: PLEASE REREAD THE PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER ONE. THAT IS ALL.

Chapter 2

A cool breeze came in through a set of open balcony doors, the wind making the silk curtains dance wildly into the large bedroom. The sleeping resident stirred as a chill fell upon her. Slowly her cerulean eyes opened, blinking quickly as they adjusted to the natural light that wounded them so. Groaning, the woman placed her hand to her head, rubbing it in some vain attempt to make the pounding stop. Looking about her, she scanned the room, taking in the tastefully furnished area with slight confusion. Nothing looked familiar. The blues of the various fabrics bled into one another, making her stomach flop. Pulling the blankets from her body she slid her legs over the bedside, her feet searching for ground. Cold wood greeted her searching toes, drawing a small cry from the girl. Standing, she had to support some of her weight by leaning against the oversized bed, her legs shaking. Step after step she made her way to the door of her suite, her fingers touching the doorknob gently. Painful shocks made her retract her hand quickly, sending the girl scurrying backwards.

Clutching her injured hand to her chest she took notice of the bandage that lay over a wad of cotton on her arm. Peeling it back she stared at the small needle hole, her pupils narrowing. Looking to the open balcony doors, the young woman took to the terrace, her feet padding quickly to the outside area. Walking to the railing she looked down, her heart falling as she stared down the fifty-some feet to the waterfront below. She could see men scoping the narrow shoreline, large dogs accompanying them as they patrolled the eastern grounds. The property seemed to fall into a small cove, trees blanketing either side of the estate. A boat zinged across the water, the craft circling the cove with its passengers looking anything but leisurely. Leaning out further over the balcony she caught a glimpse of gargantuan, stone fencing that had barbed wire facing both inwards and outwards. Her brow furrowed at the sight, wondering just what kind of place would try to not only keep intruders out, but also something in.

Tapping her nails against the marble railing, the young woman turned her attention back towards her room, or at least what she assumed was hers. Pushing away from the edge, she walked back into the bedroom, her fingers running through her black tresses. Sighing she sat down on the small couch that lay at the foot of the bed, sinking against the plush cushions as she wondered where the hell she was… and for that matter, who she was.

XxXxX

He had cradled her to his chest the whole way to his car, ignoring the questioning stares of staff as he walked by. His hair, now a deep black, appeared to be styled into a short, business cut. His violet eyes were hidden beneath sunglass, his outfit bland. After Naraku had left and the girl had passed out, Inuyasha had made sure to replace the youkai suppressing charm back around his neck. White hair and golden eyes generally drew more attention than need be. But he hadn't been expecting the Kumo-Dokushii bastard to be in her office, let alone on top of her. The beast in him had growled fiercely, causing the charm to glow hot. If he hadn't of taken it off, it probably would of broken. His aura had never reacted like that before, not even on his darkest of nights. Within seconds of it being off he had his full strength, and the puppet had been destroyed in minutes, shredded beneath his claws. The state the girl was in disturbed him. Her clothes were ruffled, her skirt pulled higher than it should have been. He face was already bruising. Tired and pale she looked nothing more than a waif. His eyes flooded red momentarily.

He had called his brother; let him know he had the girl. She felt so light in his arms, her eyes closed, her body limp. He deposited her gently in the front seat of the car, fastening her seatbelt before getting in and starting the car. He looked at her for a few moments, his lips drawn in a tight frown. He was not pleased with the overprotective feelings he was having for the girl. She was a human wench, one who had gotten her nose in where it didn't belong. Sure, she wasn't half bad to look at, but he had smelt the booze the other night. It had laid quietly in her scent, a permanent mark that no human could detect. She was too thin for his liking; the dark circles under her eyes making her seem gaunt and unhealthy. But even as he berated her, he couldn't help but admire the curve of her mouth, the size of her bust. Her fiery eyes played in his head, so full of fear, so full of pain. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Shaking his head he grunted, placing the car in reverse and leaving the parking lot. She was just a human.

_Your mother was just a human..._

He growled, finding his eyes sneaking over to the woman's sleeping form. He imagined she didn't always look the way she did. With proper sleep, without so much pain, without those bruises... He shook his head again, focusing his eyes on the road. The drive took longer than he would have liked, the whole time he feared she would wake up and he would have to deal with her rage. But he arrived at their family's hidden estate without so much as a peep from the unconscious woman. He had driven the few kilometers up from the gate to the main house, leaving the car for one of the attendants to take care of. Picking up the girl, he carried her to the guest room just below his, depositing her in the double-king size bed carefully. He opened the balcony doors, allowing fresh air to enter the unused room. He called for one of the servants, instructing them to bring a clean shirt for the girl to sleep in as well as the family's healer. The servant had bowed respectfully and exited, fetching what his master wished.

The servant returned, a sleeping yukata in his hand, the healer trailing behind him. She was old, her body hunched over as she shuffled into the room. Her tongue was clucking as she looked over the girl, casting her one good eye up in him in disapproval. "Hitting women now are ya Inuyasha? If your father were alive to see this..." Inuyasha growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously on the old woman before him.

"I didn't touch her Kaede, so keep your judgments and your thoughts on my fathers opinions to yourself."

She shook her head, wondering where the respect for the elderly had gone. Touching the bruised cheek of the girl, she turned her face from side to side, mumbling low to herself. "What would ya have me do with her then?"

"I need you to get rid of those bruises and," He looked at the woman before him, "give her a dose of scopolamine." Kaede stared at him, her eye wide as she looked back and forth between him and the sleeping girl.

"Why are you trying to get rid of her memories Inuyasha? The effect is only temporary, unless the dosage is continued. And I shouldn't have to remind you that this particular drug is highly addictive." His ears flattened at the harshness in her voice, at the pointed jabs in her words. But he held strong, his eyes hardening.

"She will be too much of a nuisance if we allow her to stay here, knowing the shit she does. Killing her isn't an option. Locking her up seems a little cruel. What would you have us do?" He was at the door now, his eyes dark as he looked on at the girl, his heart lodged in his throat.

Kaede shook her head; turning from the half-demon she grabbed the medical bag from the floor, opening it and retrieving the vile and a needle. She administered a proper dosage before going to work on the girls face, opting to use the healing methods of the ancient rather than the technologies of the new. She left the girl to one of the female servants to change, never looking at the hanyou as she left for her own quarters. She understood why he had ordered what he did. But, understanding and accepting are two very separate things. Approval is another matter altogether.

Inuyasha stared at the young woman for a while longer before retiring to his own room. He instructed to one of the holy men to place seal on the door, it's charm keeping her from leaving the confines of her room until it was removed. He wasn't sure if he could trust Kaede to do as he had asked, nor did he want her wandering the halls in a state of confusion and panic if the old woman hadn't. His brother stood in his room, their eyes locking upon his arrival. "What the fuck are you doing in my room?" He didn't bother trying to keep the ire out of his voice. He brushed past his brother, walking to his balcony as he produced a smoke from his pocket and lit it.

His brother joined him, reclining in one of the chairs that decorated the patio. His Armani suit was immaculate, which was nothing short of a surprise to him. His elder brother prided himself on all levels of appearance, particularly his physical one. "Kaede told me you drugged the doctor. Why?" He searched his younger brothers face for answers but found it to mirror his own, stoic and void of all tells. "She's a human woman Inuyasha, not a tai-youkai. She could easily be contained until she is reasoned with. All it seems you are doing is sweeping the mess under the rug."

Inuyasha took a long drag, exhaling slowly as he too took a seat. "I don't think I should have to explain myself to you. This is my mess isn't it? How I should clean it doesn't matter, only that it gets done."

"A lazy answer from a lazy being."

Inuyasha growled, his face reddening as he glared at his elder brother. "There is something about her. Something not quite right. Until I figure out what that is, I would like her to be as agreeable as possible."

Sesshomaru laughed, his claws tapping on the arms of the chair. "And so you believe that wiping her memory will help her be agreeable? The human in you really does make you foolish."

"Feh. My reasons are mine, Fluffy. I don't need to KNOW her; I need to investigate what makes her the way she is. She isn't normal."

"Well of course she isn't. She is a Higurashi. The only daughter of Toishii. You must be able to draw the lines from there."

"And she had been off our map since her birth! You don't find that odd? Given the family she comes from, I'd at least have thought you'd be curious. She just suddenly shows up on our radar, a witness to set up planned by none other than Naraku and you think this is all just some fucking rinky-dink coincidence?" He lowered his voice at his brother's glare, his ears flattening against his skull. "In any case, the initial effects of the drugs will wear off. She will remember who she is, her first twenty-some years of life. It's the last while I want her to not remember. Once we get the dosage right we will be able to keep those memories at bay. And then we can have Kaede brew up a potion specifically for that."

"Why not just do that in the first place?"

Inuyasha frowned, rolling his eyes at his brother he growled. "It will take weeks for it to be properly brewed, and I don't know about you, but I think two weeks of her being confused than having her trying to escape, fighting us, screaming, crying, blah, blah, blah. Need I go on?" He put out the smoke, yawning as he stretched back in his chair.

"Do as you like Inuyasha. Just be careful with how you play this game. She isn't a common pawn that can be removed from the board at any time." Sniffing, Sesshomaru's ears twitched slightly. "She is awake now. I think it best you go to her before panic seizes her and we end up with a confused girl trying to escape, fighting us, screaming, crying, and how did you put it," Standing he walked inside, heading towards the door. "Oh yes, blah, blah, blah. Need I go on?" He left before the ashtray hit the door.

XxXxX

She looked in the mirror, her eyes, taking in her appearance. Her skin was luminous, flawless in such a manner that forced her fingers to touch it. Brilliant blue eyes reflected silver, large and bright, lost. Dark eyelashes lined her orbs thickly, dusting the tops of her cheeks as she blinked. Her hair hung in loose curls, framing her face wildly. The coal tresses danced a sheer blue as she moved about in the light. Her lips, a soft pink, were full and inviting. The yukata clung to her a little too snuggly for her taste, the hemline a few inches from her knees. She watched her features morph in confusion, her mind trying to remember the face staring back at her.

Sighing she let her gaze wander to the closet, wondering momentarily if there would be anything more suitable for her to wear. Empty hangers and dust greeted her when she opened the heavy doors. Growling she walked back out to the patio. She wished in that moment that someone could give her some answers. She didn't think it unreasonable to know her name and certainly it was understandable that she would like to know just where the hell she was. Nothing looked familiar to her, no even her own reflection. Her doors were locked and the only other route of escape led to a steep drop into the ocean. She glanced back at her bed, contemplating tying the sheets together to make a crude ladder.

The door creaked, interrupting her plans for a linen ladder. Dashing behind the balcony doors, she peered past the drapery to watch a silver-haired man enter and look about, his nose and ears twitching. He spotted her and began making his way towards her, his hands out front of him in a silent offering of peace. Her heart sped up, pounding painfully in her chest. Short gasps left her lips as she tried to catch her breath. This strange man made her nervous, extremely so. "Please, come out." She retracted further into the safety of the drapes, her eyes warily watching him. If she couldn't remember her own name, but some part of her was still afraid of this man, then there was no chance in hell that she was going to go anywhere near him. "Look, I know you probably have some questions. I would be more than willing to give you some answers. But there is no fucking way that I am going to talk to a set of curtains. So please," His voice sounded strained, as if he was trying to choose the right words to say without a clue as to how to begin. "Just come out and we can talk."

She took a deep breath, trying to rationalize that one way or another she would have to come out from her hiding spot. A curtain was certainly no form of protection and he was right about her needing some answers. Damning her instincts she stepped forth from her safety net, her eyes locking with his. The look of bewilderment startled her, her blue orbs narrowing on his gold ones. "Ki…Kikyou." In an instant he was beside her, his nose sniffing at her as he moved in closer for a better inspection.

She withdrew from him, her full lips trembling as she played with the name, savouring it on her tongue as she tried to place it to herself. It felt like trying to put a square peg through a round hole. "Is that…" Watching him carefully, noting the red that now tinged his amber eyes. "Is that my name?"

He watched her lips move, knowing what she had asked was fair and understandable. Yet, the rage that boiled in him seemed to say otherwise. His beast was snapping its jaws in ire, wanting to tear into the woman that had wounded them so. A part of him tried to reason with his anger, soothe the terrifying beast. Nothing calmed him. Before him, her eyes seemed to shift, blue turning into a warm chocolate brown. Her voice played with his ears, enticing him with a sirens song he had heard countless times. He grabbed her arms, his claws digging into her delicate flesh as he pulled her closer. Burying his nose in her coal tresses he inhaled, waiting for the scent of honey suckles and cinnamon to invade his senses. Instead, cherry blossoms played with his nose, lightning and rain following quick pursuit. He pushed her from him, staring at the young woman as she morphed back into the doctor. "I…" He was at a loss for words. She could have been Kikyou's twin. How had he not seen that before? Granted he had not seen her face the first night, not clearly anyway. The evening before she had looked so tired, her face swollen and bruised. His heart broke at the sight of her, partly wishing he hadn't been hallucinating. Yet, his demon was quick to remind him that _she_ had betrayed them. _She_ was dead. He had seen to that himself.

Blood began to seep through the sleeves of her torn yukata, ruining the fabric as the warm fluid traveled down her arms. She trembled beneath his gaze, her mind reeling. She needed to leave, to run, to hide from the monster standing before her. Tearing past him she bolted for the door, ignoring his calls as she ran through the hallway. Her journey seemed endless. Door after door appeared but no sign of exit was in sight. She stopped to look around, her heart pounding in her ears. A hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back and pushing her against a wall. Her back pressed firmly between it and her captor she forced herself to peer up at him. His gold eyes looked hurt, worried even. But the anger that danced behind his initial façade was all too apparent. With an arm on either side of her, she was effectively trapped. "Now, listen to me. I'm sorry for scaring you. You took me off guard. If we could discuss this like two adults, I would be happy to fill you in."

"I took _you_ off guard? Are you fucking kidding me? First of all, I wake up, alone, in some random room that I can't get out of. Second, I have no memories of who I am let alone how the hell I got there." Pushing him from her, she kept her chin up, her eyes blazing. "Third, you barge in, without knocking I might add, scare the shit out of me and manhandle me like a rag-doll! Now you have the audacity to say that I took YOU off guard? That we should talk about this like adults? Well fuck you buddy!" Brushing past him she took a small amount of pleasure in the look of sheer bewilderment that had overtaken the mans face. Ignoring the little voice that kept telling her she had no clue as to where she was going, she kept her pace even and sure. She didn't know a lot at the moment, but one thing she did know; she had no desire to be anywhere near the asshole that stood shell-shocked behind her.

XxXxX

The raging beast in him had snapped the moment he had seen her. The face that had haunted him for five years had stared at him in ignorance, her face filled with a pristine innocence that only furthered his anger. The face that he had seen in so many ways; in pleasure, in love, in sickness, in heartache, in anger, in death…. She just stood there, her eyes frightened and questioning. All at once he wanted to take her into his arms, kiss the life from her and strangle the last breath from her lungs. His beast wanted to hear her moan in pleasure and scream in terror, to have her know what it meant to cross the son of the Inu no Taisho.

He had said her name, half of him wishing the mirage would disappear, just another ghost haunting his everyday life. But as he saw her silently test the name, trying it on to see if it fit, he had lost it. Rushing towards her, his claws bit into her skin, keeping her still as he greedily filled his nose with her scent. The illusion came crashing down when the smell of the doctor, of the Higurashi woman was found in its stead. He had composed himself almost immediately, stepping away from the frightened girl just as quickly as he had gone forward. When she bolted, he followed her, making sure to keep quiet as he let her tire herself out. The Taisho family home was huge, boasting over 100 sleeping quarters alone. She could run all she like, chances were she was going to get herself lost before she found a way out.

When she had finally come to a stop, he had seized her, pinning her gently between himself and the wall. All he had wanted to do was sort this whole mess out, well, give her a story that would work until a more permanent solution could be made. In hindsight, perhaps his choice of words hadn't been the best. But, god the woman had a mouth on her! After tearing him a new one, she had just turned and stormed off, again. Not bothering to go over just when the girl had suddenly decided to grow a pair, he just stood there, wracking his brain over the last twenty minutes. Finally, after a few moments of awestruck stupidity, he turned and chased after her, for the second time that day.

"Oi! Wench, maybe I didn't make myself clear. We have a few things to discuss. This isn't optional." She had some how found her room, and was standing out on the balcony, her back to him as she watched security patrol the beaches. "Hello, Kagome!" She turned to him then, her face pensive. His puppy dog-ears drooped, flattening against his skull. He knew she couldn't see him, not the real him anyway, but her eyes lightened a little when he had moved his ears. He wondered for a moment if maybe she could see him, maybe she was more like Kikyou than he had thought. But he quickly dismissed that notion. He had sensed no spiritual energy coming from the girl and her file hadn't said anything about her being a miko.

"So which is it, Kikyou or Kagome?" Her voice drew him out of his thoughts.

Uncomfortable he fidgeted with his hands, moving out to join her on the terrace. "I uh, it's Kagome."

"Why did you call me Kikyou before?" Straight to the awkward questions, he inwardly groaned.

"You look a lot like someone I knew once." She nodded her head in understanding before turning her gaze back out to the water.

"So I take it we do not know each other." He blanched. Her statement threw him off, making him pause in his advance.

"What would give you that idea?" He tried to play the question off casually, as if he was merely humouring some poor amnesiac girl rather than trying to cover his own ass.

"If you knew me, seeing that I resemble someone you once knew shouldn't have caught you so off guard." Her voice was monotonous, further making him feel uncomfortable. "This is obviously not my room. No pictures, no clothes." She let her voice trail off as she turned to face him, her back against the railing. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

He motioned for her to take a seat on the patio set. She reluctantly obliged, sitting across from him. Once they were both seated and he was sure her attention was on him he began. "Your name is Kagome Higurashi. You are a…" He paused, wondering for a moment if he should divulge her career to her. Shaking his head he continued. "You're a doctor at the Tokyo University Hospital. A couple nights ago you…" He paused to clear his throat. "You ran into some trouble with a Yakuza family. A silencer was sent out to obtain you and coerce you. He attacked you in your office, at which point I stepped in. You fell unconscious so I brought you back here, to my family's estate."

"Mhm. Okay, so putting aside that this story conveniently paints you as a hero, I am just wondering a few things. One, why is there a fresh needle mark on my arm? Two, how do you know about me being in trouble with mafia in the first place? And finally, why were you in my office when I was attacked?" The whole time she was speaking, Inuyasha tried very hard to keep his poker face. Yes, he knew there were going to be some holes in his story, but the fact that this human woman managed to pick up on them so quickly made him extremely uneasy.

"The needle mark is from the sedative we had to give you in order for our healer to work on you. It's a combination pain medication that helps keeping you from feeling the full extent of your injuries. As for how I know about the whole you being in trouble with the mob bit, well, I've seen enough mobster movies to know when dirty business is going down. I was getting a new prescription when I heard you scream. I barged into your office and saw him on top of you. I fought him off and took you back here. I figured if your office wasn't safe, than leaving you there wasn't the best idea."

Nodding her head as she took in his story, Kagome fixed him with a hard look. "I just have one more question." He waited for her to go on, his mouth drawn into a smirk. He knew she had bought the story. Her body was more relaxed, and her heart rate had decreased. Whatever question she had for him he was confident that he would be able to answer it easily. "What are you?"

Or not.

((A/N Well that's chapter 2 for ya. Hope you all like it. Also PLEASE reread the prologue and chapter 1. They have been completely overhauled, so I don't want there to be any confusion. Well, until next time!))


	4. Chapter 3

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with - , the difference between the two being my tenses.

A/N 2: So while doing research for this story I came across an error that I had made in the prologue. The officers badge, which I had said read TCPD (Tokyo City Police Department), should actually have been TMPD (Tokyo Metropolis Police Department.) I blame my cultural ignorance... Anyway, I am trying to keep the story as accurate as possible in terms of Japanese culture, geography and so on… Please, if you find any errors, LET ME KNOW. Thanks.

Also, I realize my timeline is a bit askew. To sum this up I will quickly clarify. Day one, early morning, Kagome witnesses the hit. Day one, late afternoon, Kagome is taken. Late that night they arrive at the Taisho family home. Next morning she wakes up and here we are. Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Keishicho – Tokyo Metropolis Police Department.

Chapter 3

After working in the Keishicho since its founding in 1874, few cases ever frustrated Detective Dokuga. He had had his fair share of mafia related incidences; warring families, drug cartels, human trafficking, it was all part of the norm. As captain of the Organized Crime Control Bureau, he had taken part in countless raids and arrests, often the one to lead his team in. His efficiency record was unlike any other, making him both the nation's hero and the most despised being in the underworld. Yet, one Yakuza family always managed to slide under his radar, their asses so clean one could swear they had never even taken a shit in their life. They were the bane of his existence, the family that flaunted their wealth to the public eye, a beautiful web of lies masking their dirty roots. They had their claws in every stock worth partaking in, usually owning the majority if not almost half of every company that brought in over a billion yen each. Their names were plastered in news papers as humanitarians and philanthropists. It made him sick.

Taking a sip of his coffee, the dark haired detective opened up the heavy folder, his blue eyes raking over the contents. Everything human was included in their folder. Forged birth certificates, medical documents, histories, all of it pointing to a well established family that had ties to the imperial family dating back into the Heian Period. Taisho, how he loathed the name. The family was governed by the eldest of two brothers, one Taisho Sesshomaru. He was a ruthless business man who rarely allowed himself to be in the public eye. His younger brother, one Taisho Inuyasha, was a different matter altogether. Often seen partying in one of the many establishments his family owned, the younger Taisho brother was a family enigma. The boy had been arrested on numerous occasions for a variety of crimes ranging from drug possession to assault. Ever since the death of his girlfriend, Izumo Kikyo, the younger Taisho had been photographed with a different woman almost every night.

The pages in the file were rather worn; the young looking detective having gone over them so many times that he could recall any tidbit of information with ease. Yet, it was the new pages that had been added that had made him open the folder once again. Staring back at him was one of the loveliest faces he had ever seen. Her blue eyes seemed to bore through his soul; even from the photograph did they manage to capture his attention in such a way that made him shiver. "Higurashi, Kagome. Hm." Her family name set off a few bells in his head, but he pushed the thought aside. He read over the papers, careful not to miss a single word. She was the head physician at the local university hospital, her medical records impeccable by anybody's standards. She was quite young too, only twenty-six. Looking at the cliff notes, he tried to piece together how this beautiful, young doctor had anything to do with Taisho family.

"Doctor Higurashi was reported missing from her post the previous day. Witnesses saw her being carried out by famed playboy Inuyasha Taisho. Witnesses later recant their testimony. Kagome has yet to be located." He growled, closing the file with a tad more anger than he had intended. So the woman had been kidnapped and the witnesses silenced. What a typical story involving that low-life family. "Fucking dog-turd. If people knew what you really were your face wouldn't be on the cover of magazines as the hottest bachelor of the year." He flinched at his own comment, forgetting for a moment that he too was a youkai. Yet, he refused to compare himself to the Inu-youkai, especially not a half-breed.

Sighing he leaned back in his chair, staring out his window and out at the city he had grown to love. From seventeen stories in the air the city was open for his viewing. He knew this matter, like any concerning this particular family, would have to be handled delicately. Youkai families held a lot of pull over the government and police forces, especially wealthy ones. Too much digging could result in their secret being blown, as and much as he detested the Taisho family; his ass would be on the line too. It was hard enough having to fade into the background every now and then so there wouldn't be any questions about how he looked so young, or had held his position for so long. As far as all the humans in his department were concerned, they all believed he held the same position his great, great grandfather had held and passed on to his son, and so on. He would alter his charm every few decades to make himself appear slightly older or younger, changing a feature or two to keep people from being too suspicious. He wasn't the only one on the police force who did the same and he was sure the majority of the population would be surprised to know how many of the world's public figures weren't human.

Picking up the phone he dialed his receptionist, his fingers drumming on his desk as the other line ringed. "Hello Kouga. What can I get for you?" He flinched at her tone, forcing himself to not outwardly groan. Her voice was always so chipper. It was pure torture on his sensitive ears.

Clearing his throat he addressed the young woman on the other end, "Rin, I want you to send Ginta down to the Tokyo University Hospital. I need you to have him retrieve yesterday's security tapes. Have him bring Hakkaku with him." He knew that of any of his specialty team, those two were his most loyal and trusted. This kind of situation, involving this particular party, could only be handled by those who refused to be influenced by money. He had hand picked his pack of elite soldiers, making sure that each were honourable and trustworthy. The fact that all of them happened to be wolf youkai was purely coincidence. Or at least, that's what he had told the commissioner.

The sound of bubble gum popping reached his ears, making him frown in agitation. "Sure thing boss! Anything else?" Her tone made him roll his eyes, his teeth grinding in a small attempt to keep himself from yelling at her.

"No, thank you Ms. Takahashi." The other line clicked, letting him know she had hung up on him. Staring straight ahead at his door, his fingers moved along his temples in a vain attempt to massage out her irritatingly high and cheery voice.

One day, he was sure that the girl would rile him to the point where he would be forced to just eat her.

XxXxX

His heart beat steadily in his ears, each thud seeming to drown out all the tiny creaks and groans of the house. He stared at the young woman before him, his mouth open in surprise as he tried to will himself to reply. "I…" He paused, his mouth going dry as her questioning eyes bore into him. "What do you mean?" Inuyasha knew he had to be careful with how he continued their conversation. He still wasn't sure if she truly could see him for what he was. The masking charms youkai's used in modern times had been developed by his family's research company. Spiritualists and scientists from all over the world had been brought in to create a charm that would enable the user to hide his or her youkai blood, quelling their more primal instincts and restraining their demon blood and power. Those with the sight, humans born with supernatural capabilities, used to be able to see through their charms, making it difficult for youkai to streamline with the general populous. However, recent advancements had made it so only the strongest of those possessing powers could, in fact, see them.

Humans possessing said power were categorized into five levels. Level one being those with minimal abilities, while level fives were both extremely powerful and dangerous. Unbeknownst to the general public, children were tested at birth for spiritual abilities. Those found possessing any were monitored their whole life, carefully watched for any spikes in their power, harnessing of abilities or concerns regarding the demon world. Any who showed to be level three and above were usually recruited by the demon community to provide security for both humans and demons alike; given tasks to ensure that normal humans never became aware of the existence of supernatural beings. Twenty or so years ago, even level threes could see through the demon's charms. Presently, not even level fours had the capabilities to see past them. Kikyou had helped make that so. Years of research, with her at the helm, had created a powerful enough charm that only those with extraordinary capabilities would be able to see past them. As a level four, Kikyou was indeed powerful, but by the time the charm was "perfected", even she couldn't see past the human façade. If this girl could see him, then she possessed a kind of power that hadn't been seen in over a hundred years. Even more worrisome was the fact that no one seemed to know about it.

"I thought my question was fairly straightforward. I know you aren't human. Your dog ears tell me that. Your eyes are like a cat…" His growl interrupted her, making her laugh. "Sorry, they are animalistic. I may not remember who I am, but I know for certain that you are not normal." He eyes challenged him, demanded that he explain himself.

Staring at her for a moment longer he stood from the table, walking into her temporary residence. "It's just a costume." He tried to keep his tone casual, as if her question were so ridiculous that it needn't warrant any further response.

"No." He turned to find her standing right in front of him, her arms crossed against her chest. Blue eyes narrowed she regarded him for a moment, waiting for him to speak.

"What do you mean no?" He raised an brow, his face otherwise void of any emotion.

Rolling her eyes she responded, "I'm sorry, but who the hell wears a costume like that for kicks? Besides…" She reached up, rubbing the soft velvet of his ears. His eyes closed as he pushed his head slightly further into her palm, enjoying her gentle touch. "These keep moving in reaction to sounds around the room." His amber orbs snapped open, locking onto her cerulean ones.

Stepping back from her he watched her with the same scrutiny she had moments prior. "Have you never seen someone like me before?"

She shook her head, her black locks flying about. He continued to watch her, his mind racing with questions. How was it she had never seen anyone like him before? If she possessed the sight to such a level then surely the youkai that went about their daily lives hadn't escaped her notice. Granted, her memory wasn't exactly in working order, but even so, basic functions and memories should still be active. If she knew he "wasn't normal" then he knew she possessed her subconscious memories. How was it this was the first time she had ever seen a demon? Sighing he decided it was best to simply answer her truthfully. "I am an Inu-youkai or half anyway."

Taken back, her question was asked softly. "A half dog demon? As in, from mythology?"

He snorted. "Well it obviously ain't mythology if I am standing in front of you, flesh and blood."

"I suppose not." Shrugging her shoulders she walked past him. Deciding to leave the subject for now, she continued, "Why is that I can't remember anything?"

"I don't know." His answer came a little too quick for her liking, making her pause and glance back at him. He was quick to continue, catching her look of suspicion. "Maybe the guy who attacked you gave you something. How the hell am I supposed to know?"

Raising an eyebrow she trapped his gaze once again with her own. "I suppose you wouldn't." Her statement somehow sounded more like an accusation rather than agreement. Running her fingers along the foot of the bed frame she changed her tone to that of a more casual nature. "Anyway, when is it that you were planning on letting me go home Mr…?" Her voice trailed off, waiting for him to give her his name.

"Inuyasha. And I suppose once you talk to my brother you will know."

"Your brother?"

"Yes. He is the one taking care of your… Situation. I imagine he would like to speak with you before," He watched her fingers slide over the wood of the bed frame, her touch soft. His mind drifted for a moment before he continued. "Before he uh, lets you leave."

"Then let me speak with him." She turned so they were now fully face to face, her body barely a foot from his. He had answered each of her questions, given her little reason to doubt him. Yet, her gut was telling her that this story was the condensed version. He was leaving out a lot of little, important details. She couldn't tell what it was about him that made her so suspicious, but she was. Her hackles were raised and she was trying very hard to hide it.

"He will see you at dinner. Until then I will have the chief of security escort you around the house. Let you see this place, and the grounds. She can show you where the bath house is and help you find something suitable to wear to dinner." He moved from her, walking to the door. Before he left he looked back, plastering on a smile to hide the worry that had found its way into his golden hues. "I promise you will be safe. Sango is the best at what she does. She's a little rough around the edges, but she is a kind woman. I am sure you will like her." Inuyasha took his leave from her, closing the door and resealing it.

Kagome watched him leave, her thoughts wandering between him and the mess she had somehow managed to get herself into. She could feel him reseal the door, knowing without really knowing that she would not be able to open the door from the inside. She could feel the weight of all that had been revealed weighing heavily on her. Sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace she stared out the balcony doors towards the ocean. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to have the ability to fly.

XxXxX

"I'm sorry sir, but the tapes were already released to police yesterday. There must be some kind of mix up." The girl behind the desk smiled politely at the two men. Her name tag read Hitomi, the black letters standing out against the gold plating. "I have the release forms with the warrant for their seizure." The small brunette pointed to the folder, the wide grin never leaving her perky face.

Tapping his nails against the desk, he peered at the woman with annoyance. "Look, our captain sent us down here to collect it for evidence. He is in charge of this case. He wouldn't have sent us down here if he had collected them yesterday."

Nodding, Hitomi kept her gaze level with the detective. "I understand sir, but if you would like to see the forms, I have them right here. I…"

He hated customer service aficionados. They always tried to reason with him as though he were dim or foreign. "No, you understand. Those tapes are evidence in an ongoing investigation involving the disappearance of one of your staff. I don't care what paperwork you fucking have, I want the god damn tapes." A hand on his shoulder stopped his rampage, a silent warning to not continue.

"You will have to excuse my partner miss Hitomi." Shooting the aforementioned officer a quick glare, he turned his attentions back to the young woman. "Ginta gets a little riled when we get sent out to do tasks that have already been completed. Pardon me miss, you have a good day." He pulled his partner away, his fingers wrapped tightly around the other mans arm.

"Hakkaku, what the hell are you doing. Kouga would not have sent us here to retrieve something unless it was here." Hakkaku shot him with a pointed glare, pulling him farther away.

"You think I don't realize that? For fuck sakes you moron. Someone got a warrant for them and took them yesterday. Who would have the kind of power that would allow them to get a signed court document in less than twenty-four hours?"

The look of realization that washed over Ginta's face was almost comical. "Kouga is not going to like this."

"I know. That's why you are going to the one to tell him." Hakkaku walked out the hospital entrance before his partner had a chance to argue.

XxXxX

"Fucking lying little worm!" The chair crashed against the wall, splintering and flying in pieces to the ground. "He swore to me, with a gun to his head, that his little bitch had died!" His crimson eyes were ablaze, his face contorted with rage. "He had sworn to me that he had wished on that fucking jewel to save her. But it had contorted his selfish wish, killing his little brat in the process, and disappearing."

The dark haired woman in his presence regarded the destruction he had caused with disdain, her plush lips turning down in ire. "Perhaps he did wish on it." Her voice was soft, elegant, like that of a refined noble woman.

He turned to her, his eyes wild as he stormed to where she sat amongst the sea of pillows. His fingers wrapped around her arms, bruising the flesh as he hoisted her from where her place of leisure. "Explain yourself." He all but spat at her, his nose almost touching hers as he held her firmly to him.

She stared at him, her brown eyes blank as she softly spoke, "Perhaps he had wished for the jewel to protect her. So it did. It kept her from being detected by both you and the Taisho family did it not? It sealed her powers both from those who would take notice of her and from her self."

"Powers? What powers? I did not detect any spiritual energy emanating from her." He released her, letting her lithe form fall back onto the cushions.

"Can't you feel it? The energy that has been released? It's strong. It is rolling out of the Taisho compound in waves. Such purity, unlike any I have ever felt. It's mostly hers, but under it. You can feel the jewels energy pulsating in perfect harmony with her own." She closed her eyes, her tongue swiping across her lips as she shivered, feeling the other womans aura even from so far away.

"I can't feel anything of the kind." His red eyes watched her, sliding over her form in a possessive and hungry manner.

Her chocolate orbs opened, looking up at him in surprise. "Strange…." She pushed her aura out, testing the other woman's. It slid against hers perfectly, silk against silk. "In any case, I can sense that she possesses the jewel. This daughter of Higurashi Toishii, she is a miko with power unlike any I have ever felt. But she is uncertain, and the power lies still within her, quiet and docile."

"Well then, it seems she has more of a use to me than I had originally thought." Sitting back on the throne he had place in his room, he looked to the small woman before him. "How is it that you know so much about a girl you have never met." His voice was laced in warning, as if daring her to defy him, to lie to him.

Regarding him with cool indifference. "I am not sure. I just, know." She had no reason to lie to him and her face and vitals showed she spoke the truth.

Moving on, he waved his hand in dismissal. "Have Kagura assemble a meeting. Plans will need to be constructed."

Standing, the woman bowed to him. With her face downcast, he could not see the emotions that tore across her pretty face. "Of course Lord Naraku." She took her leave, quietly exiting her masters bedroom to fulfill the task he had given to her.

((Authors Note: Well that's the end of Chapter 3! Hope you guys like it! I will try to have another chapter out next week! Please Review!))


	5. Chapter 4

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with - , the difference between the two being my tenses.

Chapter 4

Whilst drowning herself in her own self-pity, Kagome had some how managed to drift into a light slumber. Her small frame was curled upon one of the chairs, her knees tucked against her chest, her head resting upon the back of the chair. The fire had yet to go out, keeping the young woman at a comfortable temperature. A soft whine fell from her lips, her brow furrowing as she fruitlessly tried to escape from the monsters that plagued her dreams.

_She was a little girl again, barely able to see past the counter tops. Her silken, coal locks were in pigtails, her blue eyes laid within a cherub face. She could hear them arguing, their voices carrying past the mahogany bedroom door. Indistinct but angry, the voices were clearly male. One, her father, sounded frightened, strained. Going against his strict command, she opened the door, peering out to see what was going on._

"_I know you are not him." Her father stood tall, his face swollen and battered. She wanted to run to him, to kiss away his boo-boo's like he had done for her. But he had told her, that above all else, she was not to come out of the room._

"_It does not matter, the point is mute. Where is your girl?" She couldn't see the face the voice belonged to, he being out of her line of sight. The apartment was laid out in such a way that with her father standing in the kitchen, she could see him from the hallway, where as his guest was hidden in the living room. _

"_I used it on her. She…" He cast his eyes downwards, his hands balling into fists. "She died. The wish was not pure."_

"_Fool! Who knows when it will appear again!" The disgust was heavy in his voice; each word tainted with such malice that it made her tiny frame shiver. "I have no use for you then."_

_Her father's face came up quickly, shock clear in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but the gunshot drowned him out. Like a slow motion movie, Kagome watched as her father's form went limp. She saw the blood splatter against the fridge. He crumpled to the floor, his eyes wide and vacant. Crimson pooled around him, staining the linoleum. She wanted to scream, tried to. Yet, her voice was silenced. She tried to run to him, but her body wouldn't move._

"_Check the apartment." A woman materialized around the corner, her eyes red. She walked past the small child, seeming to not notice her existence. The other man walked out in front of her, his hair silver, his eyes gold. Her heart stopped. He looked right at her or rather, he looked right through her. Pink light began to illuminate the entire apartment but the man and woman seemed not to notice. Looking at her father, the terrified child screamed. The light grew and piqued before all went black.  
_

"Daddy!" Shooting from the chair, the young woman nearly collided with surprised guest. Stopping herself just inches from the other woman, Kagome bowed low, apologizing profusely as she tried to calm herself. "I um… I'm sorry. I was having a dream. I…" Looking up at the startled woman, she bit her lip before continuing. "Um, who are you?"

Rather flustered, the other woman stared at Kagome for a few minutes before slowly answering. "I am Sango Hantaa, I am sure Inuyasha told you that I would be coming here?"

Regarding Sango with slight trepidation, Kagome bowed to her again. "You are the chief of security of the Taisho estates? He had said that you would show me around and help me find something suitable to wear for dinner."

The pretty brunette smiled, her chocolate orbs warm as she returned the bow. "Hai. I was told to help you familiarize yourself with this house, as well as the immediate grounds. Your name is Kagome, correct?"

"Hai. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I know you must be pretty busy and showing around some random woman was probably not on the top of your list."

"It's nothing at all. I have enough staff to cover my absence. In any case, I would much rather show you around then do real work." She laughed at the last part, her lovely face only becoming more beautiful in her merriment.

Kagome offered a small giggle, her hands fidgeting with themselves as she tried to rid herself of the awkward feeling that hung heavily in the air. "Sango, may I ask you a question?"

Drawing herself up, Sango looked at the young woman, her eyes flickering between emotions that Kagome couldn't quite read. Worrying her lip, she nodded once, making sure to keep her face blank.

"Do you know why I am here?"

"I…" Casting her brown orbs to the floor, Sango searched for words, her mouth opening and closing. Grabbing Kagome's wrist, she dragged her over to the patio, sitting her gently in one of the cushioned seats. Taking the seat beside Kagome's, she leaned in close to her, her eyes shifting about before locking with Kagome's blue ones. "I am not entirely sure to be quite honest with you. Sesshomaru told us that Inuyasha walked into your office while you were being attacked. You were unconscious… so he brought you here."

"Don't you find it strange that he wouldn't just leave me there? You know… in a hospital?"

"I stopped trying to figure out Inuyasha years ago. The Taisho's are not known for their straightforward thinking." She patted Kagome's hand, a small smile offered in reassurance.

"What does their family do? This seems to be a grand and foreign estate, not common in Japan." She wondered for a moment how it was that she knew this, but the note of certainty that wrung in her voice gave her little room for doubt. Pinning Sango with an inquisitive brow and eyes that sparkled with perseverance, she found herself wishing to know the answer to her question more than anything.

Flushing, the young lady cleared her throat. "They deal in politics, foreign affairs and imports I suppose. Though, each son owns several smaller companies that branch off from the parent empire." She stood and seeing Kagome about to ask another question, she grabbed her arm again and whisked her back through the doors. "I will tell you as much as I can while I show you around. I want to be able to show you the gardens before the sun sets."

Kagome nodded and forced a smile to her plush lips. She trailed after the swift woman, deciding then and there that she liked Sango very much.

XxXxX

She could still feel his touch, the memory of his hands so fresh in her mind that she couldn't stop the shudders that wracked her lithe frame. His lips, like cool venom, had whispered so seductively that she had almost missed the demanding and possessive tone in which he had spoken.

"_Love me." _

It was the same every night. This dramatic and pathetic need for her to want him as much as she had wanted her past flame, it drove him to demand her body in such a ferocious manner that not even her spiritual powers could heal the bruises that littered her skin. She looked at her face in the mirror, taking in the somber brown hues and sunken in features that seemed to age her. She laughed, throwing her powder dish against her reflection, shattering the glass and breaking her image. She would never age, never die, not unless he willed it and that notion in itself was laughable. Dragging her arms across the top of the table she took a small amount of pleasure in hearing the smash of porcelain and glass as it hit the floor. Screaming she threw herself onto the bed, her body aching.

"If you keep breaking the things I buy for you then I will be left with no other choice but to leave you with nothing." Her skin prickled at the sound of his voice, her eyes searching even as she lay motionless.

"I have nothing. Material gifts are meaningless." How foreign the words sounded, even to her.

His laugh made a shiver run down her spine, like icy cold finger tips that mercilessly tormented her. "Oh pet… You know I didn't mean this worthless shit!" He threw the shards of mirror at her, licking his lips at the sight of the small wounds that opened. He watched her hold back the hiss of pain and reveled in her insolence. Walking over to a locked chest that lay above the hearth, he grabbed it and placed it on the bed beside her. "Your soul, your heart, her soul, her heart… they sit safely in this box. I can take theirs, leaving just you here. Is that your preference?"

Panic, one of the few emotions he could illicit from her quickly found its way into her voice. "No." Her voice held the defeat that he longed to hear.

He sat in the clawed chair, his crimson eyes on the silken, black locks that had fallen over her face. "Then come here pet." The sound of his zipper made her stomach clench. "And show me how much you love me."

XxXxX

_Rin,_

_I need to know the status of Dokuga's case in regards to the Higurashi woman. As well as what he knows of the missing tapes from the hospital._

_-S_

S,

_All he knows is that she is involved in the family dispute but has yet to put two and two together. He believes what he has always believed._

_Love,_

_Rin._

XxXxX

Once again they were seated in the meeting room, Shippou and Totosai now present. A young boy occupied the chair that Sango usually resided in, his face passive. "Kohaku, you are about to be privy to information that is usually only open to your sister. I trust you will uphold the same level of discretion?" A thin brow was raised over a sharp, golden eye.

"Of course sir." The young boy kept his head low, his hands held beneath the table.

"Good" Regarding the other members, Sesshomaru tapped his claws on the wooden top, his jaw clenched. "So what did you find out brother?"

Reclining back in his chair, the silver-hair hanyou glowered, his claws flexing as he cleared his throat. "For starters, she's a miko."

Myouga coughed, his elderly frame moving closer to the table. "That isn't a huge surprise. She lives in a shrine Inuyasha-sama. And given whom her father is it-"

"But a level FIVE?"

Each occupant of the room seemed to take in a sharp breath, their eyes rounding squarely on the half-demon. Sesshomaru was the first to speak, his voice a mirror of his calm façade. "Are you certain?"

"Unless our charms have begun to lose their effectiveness, than I am positive of her power."

"I don't feel her. Even Kikyou's aura was too powerful for me to not notice, especially when she was on the compound. Surely I would have noticed the night we first met her?" Miroku's violet eyes were worried, his brows drawn together in confusion.

"Unless her powers are being sealed." Shippou's small voice startled the adults, especially the dai-youkai. With a nod, Sesshomaru motioned for him to continue. "My mother used to work with Lady Kaede and Mistress Kikyou." Giving a small apologetic look to Inuyasha, he continued, "They told me that often priestess' are not made aware to us or even to themselves. Their families will seal their powers in order to keep them from coming to harm, causing trouble, or, as is the cases with extremely powerful miko's, it is to keep them from hurting themselves."

"How can this silly human doctor be a vessel to such great and terrible power? The Lady Midoriko had been both of royal and ancient blood. She was destined. Kikyou, her descendent, didn't even have the kind of power that you speak about. How can that be?" Jakken's voice, grating and slick, asked the questions that was on everyone's mind.

"How am I supposed to know? I am not the Kami's! I barely know this bitch and yet you expect me to answer you? Or am I to know because of my relation to that dead whore?" Spit came from his mouth as he rounded on the small demon, his golden hues blazing in anger.

"Calm yourself brother. He is merely wondering what we all are."

The door creaked open, and in stepped Kaede, her aging body beginning to hunch. "I may be able to be of some assistance."

"You have no right to be here. This is a council meeting for the family heads."

"Oh hush Sesshomaru. I weathered your father when he sat in your place, I will do the same with you. In any case," Taking one of the empty chairs she now looked to the rest. "Kagome belongs to Midoriko's blood line."

Having seemingly forgotten his earlier ire, Sesshomaru pressed the old woman on wards. "How can that be so?"

"Well, if she is the daughter of Toishii Higurashi, then she would be Kikyou's cousin." The puzzled faces made the old priestess sigh, her wrinkled face drawn tight with frustration. "Toishii was my brother."

((Authors Note: Well that's the end of chapter 4! I have a whole bunch lined up. Sorry that this took so long to update, there have been a lot of real life drama to worry about. Until next time!))


	6. Chapter 5

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will be marked with - , the difference between the two being my tenses.

Chapter 5

The occupants of the council room had remained silent for a long period following the confession of their resident healer. However, as time dragged onwards and no one seemed to be able to muster the ability to talk, Sesshomaru found it necessary to be the one to press the matter further. "Kaede, if you could please inform the council as to how it is possible that your brother is Toishii Higurashi, it would be greatly appreciated."

There was another pregnant pause as the old woman sighed, her head bowing ever so slightly. "I was born to a family in much the same way that yourself and master Inuyasha were. My mother had married a man named, Kaida Izumo, my father. They loved each other very much. When I was nine, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, far too late to receive treatment. He died within a few months, devastating my mother." Her voice held a tone of sadness that, even after over a half-decade later, had not lessened. "My mother remarried a few years later to a very wonderful man named Tomo Higurashi. This would be Toishii's father. I loved my little brother, though our age difference made it so that we rarely saw one another once I was old enough to begin my life outside my family home.

"My mother died when I was twenty-three and Toishii was eleven. It would be the third last time I would see my step-father, for I had looked very much like my now deceased mother and it pained him to see me. I respected his wishes and understood his pain, so I stay away from the Higurashi shrine, my home as a child. Seven years later I had a daughter out of wedlock, Kikyou," She cast Inuyasha a pained looked before continuing. "this of course, you all knew. Kikyou was a child imbued with imense spiritual powers, a trait that had been handed down from my mother. All the women along this line had some level of power, though Kikyou had been the strongest in over a century within our family. I myself am only a level three after all.

Five years after her birth, I received a call from Tomo. He asked that I help my brother, for Tomo, while not imbued with any real power, did have a keen sight and sense for those that did possess the spiritual power that he lacked. His family had come from a long line of shrine keepers, so he was well versed in the world of the supernatural and the divine. He told me that Toishii had married a young girl the year before and she had just delivered him their first child. Kagome.

I had asked him what was significant enough about this child for him to contact me when I hadn't even been invited to my brother's wedding. Tomo then told me that the blood of my mother ran through this new born girl. Though her aura spoke of great power, the child was sickly and they feared that she would die. I asked him how that could be, Miko children were always born strong, with their abilities nurturing them from the moment they were conceived. It was then that he told me that it had returned to the world."

The fear that came into the woman's eyes was a tangible as the scent of it that came with it. "What had returned you old hag?!"

"Inuyasha, silence. Your disrespect is a dishonour to our family."

Kaede gave a nod of thanks to elder Taisho brother, swallowing before continuing. "Before I continue my lords, you must understand that I have never told anyone of this, save for your honourable father, for a reason. I had thought that it had disappeared only a few years after it had once again come forth into this world."

"Just spit it out already!"

"Inuyasha! I will not tell you again!" The dai-youkai cast a withering glance at his younger brother, receiving only a grumble in return.

"The Shiko no Tama."

"How is that possible lady Kaede? The jewel was lost centuries ago. No one had seen nor heard any word of it since the wish wish for humanity was made." Miroku's voice was even, though he too now stank of fear.

"I am afraid that only the purest of wishes can cause the Shikon jewel to disappear from this world forever. And as you know, the wish of a human to create human dominance- in sheer numbers only of course my lords- is not a pure and unselfish wish. The jewel would have presented itself whenever it deemed itself fit to do so. In this case, it manifested itself in the body of my neice, Kagome."

"Kagome is the jewel?!" Inuyasha's tone was incredulous, lacking the earlier disrespect.

"No master Inuyasha, she is not. She is but the vessel with which it hides itself. The jewel had chosen the body of a miko that resonated with more power than any that had been seen for centuries. It chose the body of which it shared a kinship. For the jewel was born of Midoriko's soul and Kagome was born of Midoriko's blood."

"Why was she sickly then lady Kaede?" Shippo's voice was quiet, his emerald eyes shining with the cunning of his youkai species.

"Because the jewel was drawing the very life from the girl in order to sustain it's pure state. Kagome was but an infant, she had no control over her powers and thus was not able to draw upon her powers to purify the jewel in a healthy manner. I rushed over to the shrine for last time, finding my brother and his young wife in a fit of desperation. As I approached the child I could feel her power, coursing through the room with such intensity. I knew of only one thing I could do." She sighed then, her face appearing older then. "I placed a seal around the jewel and around her powers, so that it could continue to feed off of the purity of her light, sustaining the good within that cursed jewel. But I knew two things then. My seal would not hold forever and in the short time between her birth and when I sealed the jewel, there were those that had felt it's rebirth into this world.

"Naraku was the vile creature that had sensed it's return. He began to search the city for it, puzzled by how it had blinked in and out of existence. Some how, he found the source and I was made aware of his intentions to steal the now six-year-old Kagome, intending to keep her and raise her as a weapon until she was old enough and strong enough to control her powers and expel the jewel from her body, giving him the ultimate tool in his conquest for power. It was then, that I entered into the service of your honourable father and told him of the jewel's return. He was not a foolish youkai, as so many are. He did not desire the power of the jewel, knowing that such a power came with a hefty price. But he also knew that if he did not act, the jewel falling into the wrong hands, especially those of Naraku, would spell disaster for the world. He agreed to meet with your father to arrange the care of Kagome.

This Inuyasha, is why twenty years ago your father had asked you to meet with his honoured friend Toishii. You were supposed to take his child, Kagome, back to this place for safe-keeping, where I was to train her alongside her cousin Kikyou. But, fowl dealings happened and plans were changed. Naraku got to my brother first. Tomo called me and told me that he had found his son dead. Before I could ask any further questions, he had hung up. It was at the funeral of my brother that I saw my step-father for the last time. He was so worn, his eyes filled with so much grief. I mustered the courage to ask him what had happened to Kagome. He had looked away to where my sister-in-law sat between two empty chairs before turning his gaze back to me. He told me that in a desperate attempt to save her, Toishii had wished on the jewel to heal the girl to _save_ her. He then told me that the child had died because of the selfishness of the wish. I was dumbfounded. My neice, my brother, the jewel, they were all gone."

Totosai was the one to ask the question that they were all wondering. "Then how is the girl still alive and none of us have detected her."

"Because I believe Tomo lied to me that day. When he looked to the empty chairs where his daughter-in-law sat, I believe only his seat was empty. I believe that Toishii had not wished for the jewel to save her, but to protect her. And because of this wish being a selfish one it would not disappear, but it would come to fruition. It protected her from the detection of youkai, of miko and of anyone that held power. I could not see her that day because the jewel made it so. We knew nothing of her, despite her never hiding from us because that was the will of the Shikon-no-tama."

"Then why has that changed now. Why can she now suddenly see us and we see her." Inuyasha's face was ashen as he questioned the old miko softly.

"That, Inuyasha, is the question that I too, would like an answer for."

XxXxX

Sango had watched the young woman carefully, making sure to keep her features guarded. The doctor seemed friendly enough, albeit a tad adrift. Still… There seemed to be a certain quality about the girl, an air of familiarity that put her on edge. She had done as she had been asked, having showed Kagome the majority of the rooms. Kagome had been as polite as Sango thought she could be, given the circumstances. She took in the expensively decorated rooms and over the top features with a muted sense of awe and mild appreciation. The Taisho family library had caught her interest, it being housed in a room that boasted forty-foot ceilings, ornate stairwells, and thousands upon thousands of tombs. Kagome's fingers had danced along the spines of some of the world's most ancient texts, her blue eyes lighting as she read the names of authors long since passed. Sango had made sure to let her know that she was welcome to take out any book she wished so long as she didn't go up to the fifth tiers section of books. The youthful doctor agreed without so much as a glance at the aforementioned section.

The cooks in the kitchen had given them each a mug of tea and freshly baked sticky bun as they passed through on the way to the gardens. As they walked alongside one another, Sango found herself suddenly at a loss for words. Why had she been given the duty of babysitting? She was terrible at making small talk and the outright innocence that was plastered to the girl's face was making her feel absolutely terrible! The worst part about it was she wasn't even sure what Inuyasha's plans for Kagome were and yet the sickeningly sweet visage beside her made her feel as if she were equally guilty for the girls current Dorothy in Oz situation.

"I have never seen so many cherry blossom trees all in one place before."

Startled, Sango was quick to offer a nervous laugh, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Yes well, their family is known for their annual Viewing parties, so they go through great pains to maintain such a large collection."

"It is very beautiful."

"Yes, it is." Looking over the trees, Sango felt her body relax as she watched the branches stir in the wind. "But this is nothing compared to when they are in full bloom. In five weeks you won't be able to look anywhere without seeing the Sakura flowers. It's really something to see."

"I'll bet."

They wandered through the gardens, admiring the hedge-work and rock sculptures. Natural ponds were everywhere and in order to enhance their beauty, they were lined with polished rocks, their bottoms coated in white sand. Weeping willows stretched over the surfaces, their branches dipping into the cool waters. This area was enclosed in a tall, thick fence that was hidden behind the seemingly endless sea of Sakura and willow trees. "Beyond there is a forest that runs parallel with the shoreline." Sango had answered when Kagome had asked why a fence ran through the estate. "Eventually it leads into the mountains. The former Lord Taisho did not wish to destroy the land he had bought, so he kept it as a kind of reserve. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha have opted to do the same."

"For animals?"

Smiling, the chocolate eyed woman nodded. "In part, yes."

"For youkai?"

Eyes narrowing on the young woman, Sango was barely able to keep her voice even. "What do you mean?"

"Sango, I assume that if you were given such a position within their family, you are not ignorant to not only who they are but _what_ they are. And since it seems that you were the one selected to keep an eye on me, I would prefer it if we could be honest with one another." Crouching down, Kagome ran her fingers through the cool waters of the pond. "While I am still finding it hard to believe, Inuyasha enlightened me to what he is."

Eyes widening, Sango fumbled with her words her surprise no longer able to be hidden. "He just told you?"

"Well he didn't really have much of an option. I have two working eyes."

"Wait, what? You could SEE him?"

Kagome's brow twitched. "Well, as far as I was aware he was just a demon, not a ghost."

"Humans aren't able to see through their charms. It keeps the majority of the world from going into mass hysteria." She wondered for a moment if he had just not been wearing it, but she pushed the thought aside almost as soon as it manifested. Inuyasha was often times rash and prone to making foolish decisions, but not when it came to him being a hanyou. He kept that secret guarded from whomever he could. "Are you a priestess?"

"Pardon me?"

"A miko, a spiritual magic user, a human gifted by the Kami's? You live at a shrine do you not?"

"I do, yes, but my family have only been keepers, not genuine practitioners." Standing back up, she turned to face the slightly older woman. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. Your circumstances are fairly unique." Biting her lower lip, Sango turned from Kagome, her arms wrapping around herself. _'None of this is adding up. Inuyasha owes me a huge explanation.' _Forcing a smile once again to her lips, she turned around and addressed Kagome once again. "Well, all that's left to show you is the hot bathes. I don't know if that sort of thing tickles your fancy, but the family has an extensive outdoor-indoor bathing area that is just to die for."

For the first time a genuine smile found its way to Kagome's visage, her blue eyes widening to an almost comical point. "I _love _hot-springs."

And quite suddenly, Sango no longer had to force her smile. She was beginning to like the innocent little doctor, very much so.

XxXxX

Her hands shook as she dumped the contents of the little baggy onto the mirror. The erratic beats of her phantom heart took on an almost painful rhythm. Each second bled into the next, falling away from her consciousness as she began to feel the minutes turn into hours, multiplying, tormenting her already fragile psyche with constant speed-ups in time. Faster. Faster. Faster. She had to work just a little faster and then it would be done and she could return to some semblance of normalcy. Her hands shook as she brought the razor through the now powdered cocaine, dividing it into long thin lines. She took a brief moment to look at her stick art before putting a straw in her nose and snorting the fine white powder, eliminating the sad little rows that she had been so pressed to make.

A wave of euphoria washed over her and she took a few breaths in order to savour it just that much longer. It was such a fleeting high these days. She could suddenly remember the first time she had done cocaine. Everything had been so much different then. The high had been a gateway into a dream world that invited you to stay forever. But as time wore on, the more times she went there the harder it was to gain entry. The fee was always increased, a never ending demand that became a drain on any who chose the same path. Sitting back, her head fell back against the couch, her ebony locks fanning out around her tired face. She sniffed, clearing her nasal passages as her now dilated eyes watched the figure in front of her with disdain.

"Sweet little pet, when you look at me in such a naughty manner…" Immediately she wiped the glare from her face, opting to appear neutral. "Oh, come now, don't be such a spoil sport." He stood over her now, his form looming ominously over her as he regarded her carefully. His hand snaked out to grasp her chin, squeezing it between his thumb and pointer finger. Tilting her face so that she was straining to look up at him, he slowly brought his lips down to meet hers, his kiss bruising and ravenous.

She jerked away from him. "I am not in the mood Naraku."

His red eyes flashed, his mouth turning down into a vicious snarl. "You are a pet, sweetling. MY pet!" His hand was on her throat, squeezing it with such force that her eyes bulged. "If I tell you to kiss me, you will do as you are told. If I demand that you fuck me, then your legs better be spread. I have been lenient with you for far too long, and for what?" He pressed her further into the cushions, his body covering hers. With his lips at her ear, he whispered venomously, "I thought you loved dogs? Is being one too much for you to bare?"

Releasing her, he chuckled as she gasped and coughed, her hand going around her own throat. "You are lucky I don't have you gagged and collared, walking around on all fours for me. You are no better than those worthless Inu-youkai." He smiled as her face burned with embarrassment, her eyes downcast. He knew that behind all her bravado she hated the idea of being like him, like _them_. And once upon a time, she had the chance to do just that. But the past had long since been buried and those were bones that not even he wanted to dig up.

Casting her a sympathetic glance, he pushed the mirror towards her. "Finish off what you have there and then come to my bedroom." Standing he walked to the other side of the room. As he stood in the doorway, he gave her a small smile. "I have a sudden urge to take you from behind."

XxXxX

Kagome had never felt anything more fabulous in her life! The hot waters were scented with various oils for both relaxation and wellbeing. The heat worked at the knots in her shoulders, drawing from her a deep sigh. "How do you ever find the strength to leave this place?"

Laughing, Sango gave a small shrug. "There has never been someone to come relax with. It can get a little boring in here alone." Wading over the edge of the spring, she grabbed a towel. Standing she wrapped the soft cotton around her body.

She had been quick in her movements, but not enough so that Kagome missed the extensive scarring that littered the woman's otherwise perfect flesh. Running along her back was a network of new skin that seemed to form the shape of an arachnid. Without much thought, she found herself suddenly gasping, "What happened to you Sango?"

The other woman turned slowly, her face pensive as she regarded Kagome with a guarded stare. "It's a rather long and boring story. I don't think it's something you would want to hear."

Stepping from the waters, Kagome grabbed a towel and mimicked Sango before turning to fix her with an even look. "Sango, the scars do not frighten me. I may have just met you but, I do not think that you could ever tell me something that would make me think any less of you, nor would I pity you." Touching the other woman's shoulder gently, she gave her a kind smile. "However, if it is a story that is personal and one that you do not wish to share with someone you just met, I understand."

Sango was quiet for a moment, her brown orbs looking intently into Kagome's blue ones. "Maybe one day I will have the chance to feel comfortable enough to speak of it to you." Mirroring the other girls smile, she let her gaze soften. "Thank you for not pushing the subject."

Kagome nodded and motioned for her lead the way. Nodding, Sango grabbed a bathrobe and tossed a twin one to the young doctor before exiting the bath house. She led her back to the chambers that Kagome had awoken in the same morning. A pitcher of ice water with various citrus fruits added in was placed on the room's coffee table. Kagome smiled at the sight, her mouth rather parched from the hot springs. She poured two glasses and handed one to Sango.

The taste was delightful. The fruit gave a delicious aftertaste while the cool water was refreshing and crisp. She watched the other woman over the top of her glass, smiling as she saw that Sango was enjoying the drink with equal fervour. "So Sango, I was told you would help me find something to wear?" She was unsure of how she was going to get clothing that would fit her. She and Sango were similar in size but the woman had at least two inches on her in height, shapelier hips, and a somewhat smaller chest. Surely anything she had would look awkward on her at best.

"Oh of course. There should be a number of outfits between the closet over there and the boudoir. I imagine they kept most of her clothes and you bare a remarkable resemblance to her, so her things should fit you."

"To who?"

Sango looked startled for a moment, her breath caught in her throat. "Well, the Lady Kikyou."

XxXxX

The news had shaken him to say the least. Not only was this woman, this doctor, a miko that far outclassed any priestess he had ever met but she was also a direct descendent of the Lady Midoriko and thus a close relation to Kikyou. The physical resemblance had alone been enough to jar him but to know that it wasn't just some random coincidence... No, this whole thing seemed to be the work of the Kami's, some form of torture he was sure.

He momentarily let his mind drift back to the time spent within the council.

_Everyone in the room had been shocked by the reverie of what this girl's existence meant, but none felt the cold squeeze in their hearts as Inuyasha had. He hadn't spoken for the duration of the meeting, not hearing the thoughts and concerns of his fellow members. He had stared at Kaede until Sesshomaru had called an end to their gathering and the other's began to disperse. Only him and the old woman remained, her eyes filled with the answers to his questions. Now that she knew that Kagome was her niece, how long would it be before she told the girl the whole of it?_

_Once the chamber was empty and the door had once again been closed did Kaede speak. "I know you are troubled with this whole thing Inuyasha, namely the fact that I am privy to the knowledge that you have drugged my niece and omitted some very important details of your story to her. And while I did not like your choices in handling this situation before I dug into the girls file and realized the truth of this situation, I am willing to be party to it now."_

_His eyes had widened that, staring incredulously at the elder miko. "Why would you do that? Especially now?"_

_"It is not for YOUR benefit that I continue this charade and allow you to keep her memories at bay Inuyasha." His mouth opened to speak but she held her hand up to still his tongue. "That girl has had more loss in her life than even you. Her father was murdered, my guess was in front of her. Her mother abandoned her to Tomo, who while was a good man, died when she was only twenty. If you actually look at her file, Naraku has made a successful attempt to take vengeance on the family of the man who he perceived wasted the jewel. His connections placed the man's family in financial peril with his underlings. Because of this, SHE has had to pay the cost for it ever since she turned eighteen. Naraku has only been oblivious to her because of the wish on the jewel, never putting two and two together as to who the girl is that has been paying for Toishii's supposed debt. Her complaints to the police have gone unanswered because of the corruption in the force. And now, she has witnessed a murder to which she is coveted by Naraku once more. The jewel chose the wrong time to end it's shielding for she was instantly recognized by his spy. And finally, she has been kidnapped by youkai. I can see it in your eyes that you detest the fact that she shares the same blood as my daughter, worst still that she looks like her. But you selfish brat, she is not her. Kikyou betrayed us all. I bear you no ill will for what you had to do. But if you make my nieces life miserable for something she played no part it all for the sake of a familiar face, I will not hesitate to act against you." She would not allow him to speak in protest, opting to standing and make a hasty retreat and leaving the hanyou alone to fume._

He poured himself another cup of scotch and downed it, his ears flattening as the ice clinked loudly against the empty glass. He cursed the God's heavily in his head, the scowl on his face making heavy creases in his skin. Why couldn't she have been some random woman? Kaede hadn't been wrong in his assumption of his dislike of the girl or for what reasons. Why did she have to have the same blood running through her veins as that cursed bitch? Mind you, Kikyou's blood was no longer flowing... That thought made him pause and swallow hard. She was dead, wasn't she? He had made sure of that himself. He had watched the light fade from her eyes, mirroring the dying light in his heart. He had held her close to him, her body becoming cold and stiff. He had licked the tears from her still face, his own falling from his golden hues in streams, soaking her clothes, dampening her hair. He hadn't been cruel in his endeavour. Her death had been quick and relatively painless but he still was unable to shake the look in her eyes as she died. Anger, sadness, hate, love and finally understanding, it all filtered through her chocolate orbs in those final moments.

He was dizzy with drink by the time he shook himself from his thoughts. The decanter was almost empty and his body was warming. "Kikyou." Saying her name bared such a weight on him and yet somehow freed him all the same. He missed her sorely and hated himself for feeling as such. She had betrayed him. She had betrayed his family. His sister was dead because of her. Sango and Kohaku's parents were dead because of her. And yet... He loved her still. And his love for her fuelled his hatred in a seemingly never ending cycle of misery.

He constantly wondered if he had done the right thing. Had he had another choice? At the time he didn't think so but now... Now he had an incredible amount of hindsight about the situation which in turn only made him hate himself all the more. How could he have done that to the love of his life? She was to be his mate and yet he killed her in cold blood without much hesitation. The demon in him had done nothing to stop him. How did that make sense?

As he was about to open another decanter a knock on the door stopped him. "Inuyasha?" His ears flattened. Glancing over at the clock he noted the time. Quarter to six. Dinner would be promptly served in fifteen minutes and he was thimble of scotch away from being completely trashed.

He opened the door and leaned on the frame, his body swaying even whilst using the frame for support. Sango frowned up at him, her eyes rolling as she pushed passed him and dragged him back in. "Are you drunk?" Sniffing, her nose wrinkled as the pungent scent of alcohol hit her delicate senses. "Ugh, never mind, I can smell it on you. What the hell were you thinking? We have a quest here who, for whatever reason," The last words were said with poorly disguised contempt. "Has no idea why she is here or really who she is and you decide the best course of action is to get plastered out of your tree?" As he stared at her dumbly she gave him a resounding smack on his left cheek. "Idiot! I come here to get some answers out of you and find you like this. It's unbelievable! You're unbelievable."

"Look woman, I-"

"Don't you dare start with that woman crap Inuyasha. I detest the patronizing bullshit when you are sober and I hate it even more coming from a drunk."

Growling he rolled his eyes. "Okay. Look _Sango_, I am not that drunk. I may have had a drink or two but I am perfectly fine!" He had spoken with a lot of conviction, however it meant little as his words came out in slurs, in between hiccups.

"Mhm. Whatever you say." Sighing she relaxed her posture a little and wiped the agitation from her voice. "This is obviously not the right time to grill you with questions, so I will leave that for tomorrow when you are nursing a hangover." She grinned as he groaned. "I do want to know why you drank in the first place. You rarely drink on the weekdays and certainly never before dinner."

"You saw her Sango."

She nodded, understanding calming her nerves. "I did. But as much as the resemblance first took me off guard, it isn't as though they are twins."

"Cousins actually."

"What?"

"Well Kaede decided to barge in on a council meeting and informed us that Kagome's father is her brother which makes Kikyou and Kagome-"

"Cousins." She finished for him.

"Cousins." He repeated.

She stared at him for a while longer before her gaze fell to the full decanter that lay next to its empty counterpart. "Well in that case, perhaps you should pour two glasses."

XxXxX

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes wandering over the scarlet Gucci Premiere dress with a mixture of awe and nervousness. The softened silk clung to her figure, accentuating her bosom. There was only one strap and it draped just over her shoulder, the back trailing into the detailing at the back of the dress. A slit ran up the length of her left leg, showing off her supple and creamy flesh. The overall detailing was minimal but breathtaking. Sango had paired the dress with a pair of black, peep-toe kitten heels. Red lipstick and a touch of mascara had been the only makeup added as Sango insisted that anything else would be garish for the occasion. Her hair was swept back in a loose bun, with tendrils framing her face. She had opted to go sans jewellery, as she felt that wearing a dead woman's clothing was awful enough, let alone the jewellery she had been given by her lover.

The final outcome was a stranger to her. Mind you, she was a stranger to herself so it really was no surprise that she felt that way. However, she had looked upon her face when she had woken and the creature standing before her seemed to be a vast upgrade. She was polished and dazzling, her skin still glowing from the hot spring. Her hair shone beautifully, framing her face in such a manner that made her look very feminine and vulnerable. She twirled a little in the dress, liking the way the bottom splayed out. Feeling extremely confident, she went to the door, fully intending to make her way to the dining hall.

The red-haired youth before her had other ideas.

"You must be Kagome."

She had managed to keep herself from screaming but the small '_eep_' that had escaped passed her fingers was enough to make the young man grin. Kagome nodded dumbly, trying to regain some semblance of composure. She couldn't take her eyes of his bushy tail, her mind screaming at her to stroke it. As she heard him cough, she lifted her eyes to meet his emerald green ones, not missing the way he was staring at her like he was an adult himself. "And you are?"

"Shippou."

His voice was still raw with puberty and her heart instantly melted. Her gaze softening she held out her hand. "Well it is very nice to meet you Shippou. I assume you are a demon as well?"

Shippou's smile faltered, if only for a moment. "How did you know I was a demon?" To all those without the sight, he was unrecognizable from any other Japanese youth. His black hair and chocolate eyes were very much human, his ears rounded and his tail non-existent.

"I can see through your charms... little cat?"

"I am NOT a cat!" His tail puffed out, showing his agitation. The little growls coming out between his clenched fangs was making it hard for her to take him seriously. "I am a Kitsune! I come from a long line of great and powerful fox-demons. And I am not little!"

Her smile never faltered, her hand still held out in offering. With a small amount of reluctance the youth grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Well it is very nice to meet you Shippou. I should have known you were a Kitsune. You look much too clever." The boy gave her a broad smile. "What are you doing here Shippou?"

"I am to escort you to the dining room."

"I see. And will you be joining us?"

"Of course. I am a Shatei." There was a large amount of pride in his voice, his head held high.

Kagome's brow furrowed but only for a moment. Shatei was term used in the Yakuza... this child was strange. "Well Shippou. I await your escort." The kitsune grasped her hand gently and led her down the halls, taking the path that Sango had earlier when she had shown Kagome around. This time round, there were two human men standing outside the doors, dressed in formal attire. As they approached, each grabbed a handle to the French doors and opened. She walked through the entrance, her heart in her throat.

She took a moment to look in awe at the table of people before her, finding it pleasing that there was such a colourful array of individuals. She saw Inuyasha first, though he seemed adamant about not returning her gaze. He was seated next to who she could only assume was his brother. His long, silver locks were kept in impressively straight condition. His gold eyes were cold and calculating, drawing a shiver from her. He was dressed in suits that screamed expensive, a pair of rimless glasses settled upon the ridge of his oh-so regal nose. To his left, the chair was empty, and the nod of the intimidating demon let her know that that was to be her place. With as much poise as she could muster, she walked over and took a seat.

To Kagome's left, sat a very quiet Sango, her eyes focused entirely on the empty plate before her. A dark haired man, his eyes a delightful shade of violet, sat to Inuyasha's right. He was giving her a look of unbridled appreciation, the smile on his face promising mischief. Quickly she looked away. Shippou had taken a seat next to the purple-eyed man, a smile still on his face. Across from him was a young human teen, no older than seventeen. Two demons sat across from each other, though neither regarded her much. Another older demon sat near the end, across from an elderly human woman. The chair at the end of the table remained empty.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru. "Inuyasha said that you wished to speak with me, but I haven't the faintest idea how I am going to be of any help to you seeing as I don't remember much."

"You stupid girl! You dare speak with such a boisterous tongue to Lord Sesshoumaru! The impudence!" For some reason, she had a feeling that those words belonged to the green skinned demon sitting at the other end of the table.

"Silence Jakken." While he had barely raised his voice, the tone carried with it such weight that Kagome found herself once again shivering. Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to her, his face void of any emotion. "Forgive him. He is a lesser demon and sometimes finds himself unable to control his tongue." He motioned for one of the waiters to begin serving the food and drink, his eyes never leaving hers. "While you are correct in that I wished to speak with you, you misunderstood the reasoning behind it. I am quite aware that you will be of little use in regards to giving us any helpful information, however the knowledge that you do possess poses a risk for my family."

Bowls of a very rich miso were placed before each table inhabitant, drinks of different kinds being offered after another. Once the Riesling was poured before her, she took the stem of the crystal wine glass in hand and brought the drink to her lips. She took a long drink, enjoying the fruity sweetness of the white wine. His words had made her mouth dry, the hidden context in what he hadn't said made her stomach tighten. "If you are worried that I am going to tell people about your family being made up of demons, than I would call into question your faith in the acceptance of humanity. Simply put, who would believe me?"

"It ain't that simple." Kagome's blue orbs were instantly on Inuyasha, her eyes narrowing at the slur in his voice.

"How isn't it?"

"It just ain't!" His fist had come down hard into the table, splintering the wood. This in turn warranted an angry glare from his elder brother.

"Enough Inuyasha. You're drunk and acting a disgrace." He returned his gaze to the young doctor, his face once again hidden behind a mask of neutrality. "There is more to it than people believing you. There are those in this world that have spent their entire lives trying to rid the world of demons, believing our kind to be monstrous filth. Our charms have kept my kind safe. So it isn't as simple as taking your word that you would keep our secret."

"So what then? Am I to be silenced? Held hostage?" A level of panic had entered her voice, her jaw trembling.

"If you are asking if we would kill you, to be honest, it was a discussed solution. However, we would like to find a better path, one which allows you to integrate back into your daily life, yet ensures us of your silence."

"And have you found a better path?"

"Not yet, no. So for the time being you will remain on the compound. You will be deprived of nothing. Clothing, books, food, entertainment, whatever you wish and is within our power, within reason of course, will be provided. However you will be kept under surveillance, and you will be required to wear one of Kaede's charms that ensures you don't leave the property. This is the best offer I can give you under these circumstances."

"And what about my job? My family? My friends?" She couldn't remember any of these things, though she remembered Inuyasha mentioning that she was doctor. However, she was sure that there would be people worried about her absence. "Don't you think it will look weird of I just disappear?"

"It will be taken care of, so do not trouble yourself with stressing over any of that. Will you cooperate with us?"

She really didn't have a choice did she? Saying no meant certain death, and while she wasn't keen on being anyone's prisoner, being alive beat the hell of being dead didn't it? "I suppose I will."

In the weeks that would follow, Kagome would remember that the food had been pleasant, though what had been served would always remain a mystery. The occupants of the table had been eerily quiet that evening. But the thing she would never forget, was the haunted look that was plastered onto the visage of the younger Taisho brother.

That evening, Kagome dreamed of dogs at her heels, an enclosing spider web, and the distant howl of wolves.

Author's Note: Chapter 5 is done! I am sooooo sorry for my unbelievably long absence. Life has a way of drawing me away from the internet. I am hoping to be a bit more consistent with the updates but in all honesty? I can make no promises. :p


	7. Chapter 6

Playing Dead

Summary: This isn't a story of a bad boy learning to be good. Or a good girl going bad. This is the story of two people, from two different worlds, finding out that everything isn't always black or white.

Rating: T for most chapters. M/NC-17 for excessive violence, adult language and later adult themes.

Disclaimer: Any and all characters used from the Inuyasha series and franchise does not belong to me. Any references to others work, are not property of mine either.

Warning: A/U, OOC

Authors note: In order for me to keep this story as clear as possible, I will be implementing various POV's throughout. I will make it clear when this will occur, as well as WHO is the person that is thinking/speaking. I will mark this with XxXxX. Time shifts and scene changes will marked with -, the difference between the two being my tenses.

A/N 2: Yes, yes I know I am the worst person ever when it comes to updating. I have swept through the first six chapters and added/changed several paragraphs. I A) needed to refresh my memory on what I had already written and while doing so, I found it full of grammatical errors and plot holes that, well, just irked me. B) I wanted to explain some things a bit more so I have added in over 3000 words, so you may want to reread the chapters so you are both caught up and/or aware of the extra content.

Chapter 6

For the better part of the last two weeks, Inuyasha had all but avoided the young miko that had taken residence in his home. Excuses were easy to come by to skip out on dinner, which incidentally, saw a giant increase in his work ethic. This both pleased and annoyed his elder brother; who while finding Inuyasha'a decision to step up in his duties to be a blessing, he was aware that his new found dedication was completely fuelled by his younger sibling's immature need to distance himself from the girl. As it were, Inuyasha had been ordered to remain at the compound for the day, much to the chagrin of the hanyou.

The girl's scent was absolutely everywhere.

The library, one of two of her favourite places was in the same wing as the dojo, making his concentration wane as the smell of cherry blossom's and rain permeated the place. A part of him wished to go see her, to stare at the face that so reminded him of deceased love. But, he knew that her presence would only instil a hostile aggression, for the same face also drudged up memories of pain and loss that he had worked hard to bury. He swung the rusted heirloom that had been passed down to him, the dull blade slicing through imaginary opponents as he went through his kata. He knew that the art of the sword was a dead one, especially in an age where weapons could be used at great distances. However, family tradition had taught both he, and his elder brother that lost arts had their uses, especially when one held a sword with as much power as the one he did now. "Stupid piece of junk." Not that the Tessaiga had ever transformed for him.

After he had managed to work up a sweat, Inuyasha sheathed the blunt blade and decided to take off for a dip in the Hot Springs. The hot water would soothe the tension and relieve his building headache. After a rinse so as to not pollute the fresh, hot water, Inuyasha slid his naked form into the northern bath, his sigh of contentment echoing throughout the spacious, cavern-like room.

"Hello?"

His ears instantly flattened against his head as he ducked beneath the water so only his head from the nose up remained unsaturated. Of course, it was his damned luck after all that the cursed little wench would have been thinking of the same pass-time as him. He growled softly, the territorial Inu him not wanting to relinquish his place, just because _she _was here.

"Is someone else in here?"

Sighing, he waded through the water until he came to the shoji screen that separated the northern and southern pools from one another. Lamps illuminated his svelte, hard frame, making the girl on the other side take in a sharp breath as she saw the silhouette of the half demon. The tiny triangles on top of his head twitched at the sound, drawing a small giggle from the miko. "What's so funny?!"

"Oh!" Her face blossomed a shade of red as she tore her gaze away from the delightful sight of shadow. "I- I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. I can see your outline through the screen and… well… your ears."

His golden eyes narrowed, his already-there frown deepening. "What of it?"

"They are cute is all."

He hadn't been expecting that, and quickly he was turning the same rosy red as she. Unable to form a coherent sentence, he too, turned away from the screen, making the two an identical pair in embarrassment and posture. "Keh."

"I haven't seen you all week, did I-" Her could smell her nervousness, her heart beat increasing. "Did I do something wrong?" There was a pain in her voice now, an unexpected emotion that made his stomach drop with guilt.

He sighed yet again. "No. You didn't do anything wrong Kagome." Saying her name had a strange, calming effect on him.

"Then why have you been avoiding me? Is it because I look like Kikyou?"

The question was brazen though he wouldn't fault her for it. That was, after all, the first name that he had called her by. "Yes." It wasn't a lie, though it wasn't the whole truth. She wasn't ready to learn of her very large part in the dynamic of this whole thing.

"I see." Once again her voice was pained, and quite suddenly, he was reminded of what Kaede had said to him. Over the weeks, Kagome had been given daily doses to keep her memories at bay, though the doses had been altered to allow her memories of who she was to come through. She now knew of what losses that she had felt over the years, alongside the fact that she was also presently, in quite a bit of danger and her freedom was restricted. She had been dealt a terrible blow and he had been very selfish.

"I am sorry Kagome."

"What for?" Even though his admission had caused her pain, she still didn't see it as his fault. His ears flattened further against his head.

"Because I shouldn't have let a resemblance make you feel like you had done something wrong. You are not her. It wasn't fair of me." He was shocked by his own words. While there were truthful, he was not one to apologise. What was it about this human girl?

"Thank you, Inuyasha." She shifted in the water once again, this time so that she was facing him. "Kaede tells me that she will have a charm ready for me tomorrow. I won't have to have a guard with me every time I walk around the grounds anymore." The happiness in her voice was pure, erasing the sadness that had, just moments before, clung to her. "But, I should get out now. I am starting to feel like a prune! I… I hope to see you at dinner tonight."

She didn't wait for a reply, the sounds of the water disturbing as she left making him blush for some reason.

He sat against the stone, his breathing hard. He supposed that he could, tonight at least, go to dinner. He reasoned that it had been a while, ignoring the fact that he hadn't planned to go prior to her asking him.

XxXxX

Kaede was busy tending to the last stages of her charm; a two-in-one that would serve to keep specific memories from surfacing while also tying the girl to the grounds. So long as Kagome did not fully awaken her miko powers, the charm would hold.

There were only three things that she needed to complete it, and she knew that it was going to be, quite literally, as difficult as pulling teeth. Calling for one of the servants, she ground the leaves and the bark of the ancient sakura tree until they were but dust. The young girl arrived, bowing to her mistress.

"Sato, please have master Inuyasha come see me. I require a few things from him. Tell him it is of the utmost importance and that he must be urgent."

"Yes mam."

Kaede smiled at the young, blue hair demon child. It was only after she left that she sighed heavily, resigning herself to the argument that would ensue following the arrival of the young half-demon. "Kami's give me strength."

XxXxX

With a lazy yawn, the fat calico cat arched her back, her claws kneading the blankets beneath her. She had grown rather fond of her new surroundings, enjoying the large bed, which she shared with her human. The food wasn't half-bad either. Fish, chicken, all de-boned and laid out on a silver tray next to a saucer of cream and a bowl of fresh water. She wanted for nothing. Giving a satisfied yawn, she hopped down from her plush surroundings and waddled over to gorge herself on yet another fillet of salmon. As far as she was concerned, this was an upgrade that she would be most unhappy to give up.

XxXxX

Kagome watched Buyo with a hint of a smile on her face. The pudgy creature had been brought to her at her request, not wishing for the temporary tenants of her shrine to care for the little fuzz-ball that she had loved for the last few years. She had initially feared that the change would be a little traumatic for her but had soon found that such notions were void of any substance. The cat had taken to the pampered life-style with nary a complaint. She on the other hand… she was sorely missing the hospital and further still, her booze.

Every evening wine was served at dinner, but Kagome could not drink more than a glass or two. It was bad enough that her safety depended upon complete strangers, she needn't them know that she was barely contained mess who was a magnet for personal trouble. It was frustrating and increasingly difficult to hide the symptoms of her withdrawals. She was sweating through the night, often waking in soaked sheets. She had scared herself awake with the sounds of her own crying, often dreaming about times she would much rather forget.

Sighing, Kagome briefly wondered how long she would be able to keep up this charade.

A soft knock at he door jogged her out of her increasingly dark thoughts. Forcing a smile to her face, Kagome called loud enough for the visitor to hear. "Come in."

Kaede's good eye fixed on the young girl as soon as the door was opened. "Good afternoon Kagome. I have your last round of anti-viral shot."

On a daily basis, Kagome had almost looked forward to the small visit between her and the elderly woman. Kaede was a kind woman, wise and full of stories. If it weren't for the needle, she would have been the glad at the woman's appearance at her door each day. "Hai Lady Kaede. Gomen."

With a gentle hand, Kaede guided the girl to one of the chairs and got to work. She set the vial out the same way she did every day. The needle lay beside it. She refused to cast a glance, not wish to see the stupid thing. Her sleeve was rolled up, the crux of her arm wiped with antibacterial gel before a tie was place around her bicep. Kaede drew the liquid from the vile into the syringe, tapping it twice to force the air bubbles to the top. Expelling the air and 1CC of fluid, she looked down and gave Kagome a wry smile. "Ready child?"

With a dejected sigh and a mental note that this would be the last time, Kagome gave a solemn, "Hai."

Two stinging slaps to her arm, the needle was gently pushed into her vein. Kaede blew over the skin, taking away the pain that usual went along with the injection. Her thumb on the plunger, she pushed, sending the clear fluid into Kagome's blood stream. A fuzzy, light feeling washed over her for just a moment, making the room spin and the withdrawal of the needle as painless as it's insertion. Kagome placed a hand out to steady herself, grabbing onto the table and falling forward a bit. Kaede gave a cry of alarm, catching the girl as the medical supplies shook. A faint clinking of glass was heard for but a moment, before Kagome's mumbled apologies drowned out all other sides.

"Do not fret child. You were just light-headed. I will send for some tea to help you calm your nerves." Kaede began to pack up, placing the used needle in a disposal bag before placing it back in her medical kit. "You will have to forgive me though, I can not join you for tea this afternoon. I have to finish that charm for you and I have a half-demon waiting on me."

"Do not worry, I am sure we will have another day to chat. But, do you think you could ask if Sango could join me. I need to discuss something wit her anyway." The head of security had become a good friend and a daily companion for the young doctor.

"Of course, I am sure would be delighted to drop whatever is she up to in favour of tea." Kaede smiled and left, shutting the door behind her.

Once she felt able to stand, Kagome walked back to her bed, intending to lie down until Sango's arrival. Her foot kicked something, but when she looked down she found nothing there. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked to her cat, petting her and picking her up before returning to the comfortable mattress.

The forgotten and empty vile rolled under the bed, silently coming to a stop against one of the bad posts.

(A/N: Well this one is shorter than normal but you will have to forgive me for that! With all the added content in previous chapters, this one sucked out the last of my abilities for the week. So… please review.)


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